On the day the world ends Mau is on his way home from the Boys’ Island. And then a huge wave comes bringing the Sweet Judy through the island rainforest. As the ship comes to a crashing halt only one soul is left alive. The village has gone. The Nation as it was has gone. Now there’s just Mau a trouserman girl who wears far too much and an awful lot of big misunderstandings. Together they must forge a new Nation and create a new history. But the old history isn’t going to just go away at least not while the Grandfathers still have a voice. And Mau must look into the past before he can face the future.