It is New Zealand, and the first decade of the twentieth century. Katherine McKechnie is struggling to raise two children following the death of her husband, when a chance encounter with a Chinese shopkeeper blossoms into friendship and, eventually, love. Racial tension and prejudice mean the two must keep their relationship secret, but Katherine's son, Robbie, learns the truth and, on the eve of World War I as young men everywhere are swept up on a tide of macho patriotism, takes his family's honour into his own hands - with devastating consequences.