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Long ago, four extraordinary beings of dual male and female spirit brought the healing arts to Hawaii and imbued their powers in four giant boulders. The stones still stand on Waikiki Beach, but their true story has been hidden - until now.

A valiant island warrior, wounded in battle against foreign invaders, falls into a mysterious underwater world. When the octopus who rescued him transforms into a handsome young man, they fall in love and an epic adventure begins.

On Honolulu's famed Waikiki Beach stand four giant boulders placed as a tribute to the four legendary mahu - individuals of dual male and female spirit - who brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii long ago. Although the stones have survived for centuries, their story has been hidden and the respected role of mahu erased. THE HEALER STONES OF KAPAEMAHU documents the trail of post-colonial suppression through the eyes of a Native Hawaiian director, herself mahu, and uses rare archival materials, new historical findings, and vivid animation to bring the unexpurgated story back to life. The film includes an animated telling of the story of Kapaemahu; an explanation of the roots of the word mahu, which is used in both Tahitian and Hawaiian; the origins of the tradition in Tahiti, the earlier home of Kanaka Maoli; the writing of the story in the early 19th century; the preservation of the site by members of the royal family; its desecration in World War II, when is was used for a bowling alley; the suppression of the meaning and original name of the site by Christianized individuals up until the 1990s; and the long community campaign to revive the story and to resurrect the respect and dignity of mahu in modern culture. The film is based on an extensive exhibition about the story, the site, and its history at the Bishop Museum. It includes works from around the world on the importance of duality and gender fluidity throughout Polynesia. The relationship to healing, both physical and spiritual, is also emphasized.