Will Bastion returns home from the army after an absence of 20 years to bury his father, the former chief of thee Maori tribe, Ngati Kaipuku. The eldest son, he is reluctant to inherit his fathers role, so it is taken more willingly by his younger brother, Kahu. Kahu is the leader of a band of drug dealers and trouble-makers who ride horses through the middle of town, wrecking peoples gardens. Under the guise of refusal of a land settlement, Kahu makes a large marijuana deal with some murdering city folk. Will must choose between loyalty for his brother and his father, Maori tradition, and contemporary financial issues.

Hardened prosecutor Asta Cadell leaves home for a road trip down the coast of Australia. But Cadell's relaxing ride turns tense when her motorcycle malfunctions and she makes a pit stop in a remote town. Cadell meets teen Elizabeth Curtis, who confides that she has just been raped, and Cadell helps the young woman report the crime to the authorities. When police corruption stands in the way of justice, she takes matters into her own hands.