After the death of their mother at a young age, Jaxon and Riley’s lives become set on a path driven by a silent determination to make her proud. When fate deals a familiar blow, they are forced to reflect on their purpose in life and embrace a change of heart - both literally and metaphorically.

SYNOPSIS:

Jaxon is a disenchanted musician and filmmaker, who also surfs, paints and writes. He is the consummate, frustrated creative and his life has become stagnated and dull, however a bout of the flu soon changes that. The flu attacks his heart and his health suddenly deteriorates. Jaxon ends up on life-support and in a coma, and is not expected to survive.

His sister, Riley, and his young teenage son, Harry, never leave his bedside, and finally Jaxon receives an artificial heart in emergency surgery. For Jaxon and Riley, the situation digs up memories from when their mother, Lesley, died from the same condition - at the same age as Jaxon, in the same hospital! Jaxon and Riley were twelve and nine years old, respectively.

Jaxon recovers and is given a second chance at life thanks to his new artificial heart. He now awaits a heart transplant. Although he embraces this second chance and achieves things he’d never dreamed of before, life on the list can be frustrating and arduous, and also confronting. The sad reality for Jaxon is that someone must die so that he may live.

Clem and his family are a contemporary Aboriginal family living on Sydney’s northern beaches. They are surfers, and stem from a clan who were traditional custodians of the sea. They are a close and loving family, and embrace life in every way. After the death of a young niece who was waiting on the kidney transplant list, Clem is inspired to register as an organ donor.

Bridie, Clem’s wife, doesn’t believe in organ donation, and friction builds within the family. Their children, Tahnee and Boudie who are both in their twenties, also have differing opinions on the matter, and finally it takes a respected elder, Nana Del - Clem’s mother, to become the voice of reason. We follow the story of this indigenous family trying to respect traditional Aboriginal values in a modern society.

These two families touch in the most gentlest of ways at the beginning of the film, but are then brought together under astonishing and traumatic circumstances at the end.

Both families are forced to challenge beliefs, and both must cope with extreme adversity. They must accept the past, and find a way forward in order to make the most of all experiences, good and bad. In the end, both families must experience a change of heart - metaphorically and literally.