Set in the present, Lucy Iives in a seaside cottage in Eastbourne, near Wellington.

Not far away, high on a cliff is the old Pencarrow Lighthouse. Lucy has never been there and when her mother suggests a visit and picnic Lucy is not so keen but she decides go along anyway to please her mother.

When they arrive at the lighthouse with its spectacular views out across the sea to the South Island, Lucy is intrigued and asks about the keeper. Her mother then tells her the amazing story of Mary Jane Bennett, who, 150 years ago, was New Zealand’s first and only woman lighthouse keeper.