Detective Sergeant Maddy Birch has spent a lifetime on the force and has nothing to show for it. When the takedown of a violent criminal goes badly wrong leaving the target and a young constable dead, Maddy is very uneasy. Then she feels that she is being stalked. In Cornwall Detective Inspector Elder is distrubed by a phone call from his estranged wife Joanne, their seventeen-year-old daughter Katherine is running wild. Elder fears for his daughter and feels remorse and guilt as it was his involvement in a case that led to the rape of his daughter and unbalanced her. Elder is persuaded to come out of retirement and follow this case and his investigation takes place against the backdrop of his increasing concern for his daughter and he must battle his own demons before he can uncover the truth.