The tribal people of Ao-tea-roa confront the arrival of the pakehas, the strange, pale invaders from across the sea. The shaman warns his people not to be seduced by new material wealth and proselytizing by Christian missionaries. The tribe finds itself hard pressed to maintain its culture and tradition. The new world confronts the old as white settlers begin to push the native people off their ancestral lands. In the midst of war and chaos, a young shaman emerges to lead his people. He is recognized as a man of great mana. Defeat seems inevitable, but the shaman will rise up above it all, showing both whites and tribesmen alike a transcendent vision and a destiny for humanity written in the stars.