When a fierce storm strikes Malio Island, the locals ask for a miracle. What they receive instead is an ornate canoe complete with a little boy named Tama. At first, he is thought to be a gift from the gods and taken in by the Malio chief to be raised as his own son. However, when gossip spreads that Tama is to blame for all the island's misfortunes, the chief denounces him and Tama is passed between families on the island until he ends up with a family also considered an outcast.

