Nina lives with her family in a Croatian migrant enclave in the suburbs of Auckland. Brought to New Zealand by her mother Mira after the outbreak of war in her homeland, Nina faces a new life in a new land.
Nina's relationship with her domineering father Ivan becomes strained when she falls in love with a young Maori name Eddie. In an attempt to escape the overpowering influence of her father, she marries a Chinese political refugee for money and leaves home.
Ivan learns of Nina's marriage of convenience and is enraged when he discovers Nina is pregnant to Eddie. Desperate to reassert his control over Nina, Ivan risks alienating his entire family when he tries to tear Nina away form the man she loves
