Hongi, the teenaged son of a Maori chieftain, has to avenge his father's murder in order to bring honour and peace to the souls of his nearest and dearest after his tribe has been slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by means of a band of villains directed by Wirepa, Hongi's only hope is to pass the feared and prohibited"Dead Lands" and forge an uncomfortable alliance with a mysterious warrior, a ruthless fighter who has mastered the area for decades.