When Juliet Doyle finds a gun in her daughter's bedroom, she turns to old friend DCI Alan Banks for advice. But Banks is on holiday, and it's left to DI Annie Cabbot to deal with the removal of the firearm. No one however can foresee the operation's disastrous consequences...Meanwhile, Banks's daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. When Tracy warns him the police are on his tail, he persuades her to go on the run, and a deadly chase across the country is set in motion. On his return, Banks is plunged into his most terrifying, personal case yet.