When twenty-one-year-old builder Joe Wright meets Leo, he falls in love hard, and seemingly for ever. Mature, philosophical and intensely handsome, Leo teaches Joe an appreciation of music and literature, and, most importantly, a passion for the beautiful old buildings that are disappearing from Auckland's central city. But when Leo suddenly vanishes from his life, then drifts back again years later, Joe - now a powerful developer of heritage architecture - is unable to move on from this first affair. As the years pass, and Leo stays just out of reach, can Joe open his eyes to new possibilities? An intense love story and a love song to a city's vanishing past, Shelter depicts the myriad complexities of male relationships, the possibilities offered by chance encounters and the exquisite beauty of friendship - and a home - found in unexpected places.