Derek and Hansel are modelling again when an opposing company attempts to take them out from the business.
Hongi, a Maori chieftain’s teenage son, must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains led by Wirepa, Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden “Dead Lands” and forge an uneasy alliance with a mysterious warrior, a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.
After a successful raid and having captured a rival village's leader, a war party must drag their huge canoe or "Taua" through the forest to reach the sea and escape with their trophy but even in a forest of their native land water can be scarce. As the warriors, driven by their insistent chief, press towards home, two boys are tasked to protect the precious water and keep an eye on the prisoner, but need and desperation grows for all as the story drives to a climax.