It's 1972 and 12 year old GJ Philip lives most of the time on the wharves of Wellington NZ, afraid to go home where his schizophrenic father rules with an iron fist. But GJ carves a life of sorts from the rough and tumble world of pubs and railway stations in New Zealand's Capital City, selling fish and sleeping in railway carriages, part of a band of Naenae street urchins that find shelter on the public transport network.
GJ joins the Wellington Surfcasting and Angling Club to find acceptance in society and recognition among his fishing peers, but things aren't always as simple as they seem.