New Zealand in the 1830s is a largely Māori world, dominated by tribal wars. Seeking redemption from a dark past, lay preacher Thomas Munro (GUY PEARCE) is on board a trading vessel heading to the newly established town of Epworth, a British settlement at the far corner of the world. When the ship anchors on the rugged coast of New Zealand, Munro finds himself caught up in a battle between Māori tribes and witnesses a slaughter of innocents at the hands of chief Akatarawa. Munro manages to save the life of Rangimai -- the daughter of Maianui, a rival chief whose land Epworth leases in a delicate arrangement. As Munro begins to experience the white townsfolk's entrenched racism and paranoia towards the Māori, he finds himself increasingly ostracized within the community he is meant to serve and realizes he has been brought to this isolated British outpost merely to add the veneer of civilization. When one of Maianui's men is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Munro and Rangimai take a dangerous journey into the prohibited lands ruled by Māori warlords, in the hope of repairing the injustice. However, Munro soon realizes he is a pawn in a strategic play of power, and with bloody war between the two dominant tribes now inevitable, he must decide what role he will play and whether his faith is real, or of any value.