Newlyweds Cedric and Doris Asker are separated when the ship taking them to their new life in New Zealand strikes rocks in a fog and sinks. Many lives are lost off the remote northern coast, and others are changed forever. Cedric is determined to survive and rise above the convict stigma bestowed on him by his underdog Australian ancestors, and eventually, he drifts ashore on an isolated beach.
His pioneer ethos drives him to become a successful and respected businessman. Still, cutthroat competition, the Great Depression, and a murderous encounter with a bank run by Duncan Glengyle change everything.
When there is hope for a new career, the 1931 Napier Earthquake strikes a deadly blow, and the torch of family ambition is passed to a new generation of Askers.