In colonial Aotearoa, three directionless young Māori men enlist in the Crown’s militia for all the wrong reasons, only to desert, stumble through war, whaling, gold-rush chaos and cultural collision, and accidentally build a rough-and-ready tavern that finally gives them the freedom and belonging they were chasing. 

SYNOPSIS:

Jimi, Wiremu and Kahu each sign up under pressure, fantasy or sheer stupidity, imagining soldiering might give them status, purpose or adventure. Instead, war terrifies them into desertion, sending them into a spiralling odyssey through nineteenth-century frontier life, where they collide with hustlers, whalers, miners and Chinese communities while trying to stay alive and out of custody. Over time, their failures harden into friendship, and their running finally stops when they create a tavern of their own — a chaotic sanctuary built by misfits, deserters and unexpected allies. The result is a rowdy historical comedy about survival, masculinity, identity and found whānau.