New Zealand, 1868 - a country in the midst of a war between British settlers and the Maori tribes resisting the colonization of their lands. Young Irish woman Sarah O'Brien has grown up in a frontier garrison on Te Awa Nui - the Great River - under the guidance of her father Francis. Sarah falls in love with a Maori and gives birth to a son, Boy, whose heritage is torn between two warring cultures. Seven years later, Boy is kidnapped by his Maori grandfather. Sarah's life becomes a search for her son, and years later she is given the chance to see her child in exchange for healing the ill rebel chief Te Kai Po. Sarah's experiences with the natives, plus her shocking realisation that Boy has grown into a young warrior during his time in the village, force her to reinterpret her life. As tensions mount between the Maoris and the Colonials - and Te Kai Po declares war on the white enemy - Sarah and Boy find themselves caught between two worlds, the old and the new.

>> Toronto International Film Festival Selection, 2005
>> Sydney Film Festival Selection, 2006