From eight female Maori directors come eight connected stories (in Maori, waru means 8), each taking place at the same moment in time during the tangi (funeral) of a small boy, Waru, who has died at the hands of a caregiver. The eight stories are all subtly linked and follow different female characters as they come to terms with Waru's death and try to find a way forward in their community.

Mata, Missy and Makareta. Three cousins. Three lives. Separated by circumstances, yet bound together by blood. Orphaned Mata believes she has no whanau and lives out her lonely childhood in fear and bewilderment. Back home on the land, educated Makareta flees an arranged marriage to study law and begin the search for her missing cousin. She leaves behind cheeky yet dutiful Missy who takes on her role of kaitiaki (guardian) of the land. As the years pass, loss of the family land seems imminent and the women's promise to bring their stolen cousin home seems more unlikely than ever, until a chance encounter changes everything.