A surrogacy deal goes wrong when pregnant Nicole changes her mind about giving best friend Tessa the baby she is carrying for her. The ensuing emotional rift splits the small New Zealand town of Kaikōura - already physically torn apart from a recent earthquake.

Tania thinks she's Maori. She works the graveyard shift at a petrol station, saving money so she can take her brother Piwakawaka to Surfers Paradise to find their dad. When Pi goes away to pick kiwifruit, Tania is left by herself to plan for their trip. Stuck in a petrol station - getting security training and making sure her boss, Rog, doesn't lose his job - Tania can't rescue her brother from his new mates and from thinking he can fly. Dean, the regional manager, arrives to keep an eye on Rog but Dean has his eye on Tania, too. When Dean questions Tania's culture and who her family is, she starts to piece together the truth and realises she must save her brother and bring him home. Then one night a cheeky little bird ruins everything and Tania pays the ultimate price for being a hero.