The preserved bones of the great Hawaiian king, Kamehameha, have survived in hiding into the twenty-first century and are the key to many secrets. For the young mathematician, Cen, they are the key to travel in time and between alternate universes. For the native Hawaiian Resistance movement, they are a symbol of independence but also the source of genetic material from which the great king may be cloned and rise again. Cen's mathematics and Akamu, the boy who might be king, become hidden treasures in the most amazing plot in contemporary SF.

Two protagonists: One is a Japanese-American woman, the other a Native Hawaiian man. Most of the other characters in the story are also people of color, and there are two gay side characters.