Tawera and his sister are inseparable, in a relationship that is impossible for others to share. In fact his whole family is bonded by secrets, their genealogy stitched together by pride, shame and sometimes despair. Baby No - eyes has several threads running through it. One is the death of Te Paania's child, which is based on the true story of a dead child who was returned to her whanau with her eyes missing. In the years after her death, Baby has a continuing presence throughout the novel. The second thread involves an iwi group, who are involved in a land claim that results in them occupying a downtown council site. The ghost of Baby No - eyes accompanies Gran Kura, Te Paania and Tawera, as Te Paania immerses herself in political issues and Tawera becomes a teenager, and as Gran reaches the end of her life.