Spanning 1979 to 2003, The Great Wave looks at the mysterious disappearance of a Japanese schoolgirl and her mother and sister's tireless search to find her again. The girl - Hanako - is discovered living in captivity in a compound in North Korea, employed to teach a young woman Japanese language and culture. Francis Turnly's gripping play is based on a a true story and it conveys, not only the magnitude of these events globally, but also the beating human heart at the centre of this story.