Twenty-four-year-old Te Rua holds a secret, 'one to die with'. But if he is to rescue his daughter Kiri from the neglectful care of his aunts then the truth will have to be told. As the custody case approaches, and tourists arrive on the Dogside coastline for the first sunrise of the new millennium, not only will his confession shame his family but it will reverberate throughout the whole community. By one of New Zealand's finest writers, this rich, dramatic novel about what it is that builds the life-preserving strength of family presents a powerful picture of Maori in modern times.