In this book there is a boy named Mafatu. He is the son of a great chief that rules the land of Hikueru. Mafatu had also had mother but had died from lost at sea. Mafatu was with his mother at the time she died. They were both together on a canoe out on the ocean when the currents picked up. Mafatu almost drowned to death but his mother took his place instead and she died.

Now when Mafatu grew up he was teased because of his fear of the sea. And because of this fear he never went out on the ocean with all the other boys his age. And because of this he was stuck on shore doing all the same work as the women.  His father was very disappointed and resented his son from this. One night Mafatu heard the other boys talking bad about him and he gave up on life on the island. He took his dog and bird and a canoe out to another island.

He thought him leaving on the ocean to live on another island would prove himself brave. He set out for another island. Once he hit shore on the new island he went looking for life. He saw smoke as sign of this island being the island on the man-eaters. On Hikueru there was this legend of and with man-eaters on it.

While on this island Mafatu became stronger, he faced big and many challenges. While putting out fish traps he noticed every time he would put it the fish would be gone. One day he found a shark that would still his fish. One day he fought this shark and killed him. Then he fell in the water and fought an octopus, which he had also killed. Lastly he fought against this monster pua?a in the forest. He won after a long battle and ate well.
In the end Mafatu returned to Hikueru on the canoe that he came. When he got back his father didn’t even recognize him. He was amazed of how big and brave was now. And he noticed the big tusk of the pig he killed and made him a chief.