Traumatized by his confrontation with a serial killer and subsequent nervous breakdown, Detective Inspector Kavanagh hopes to leave his demons behind him by transferring to London. But when he is assigned the case of kidnapped advertising supremo Martyn Foyle, Kavanagh knows he will come under scrutiny that is too close for comfort from his bosses at the Met. The kidnapping is anything but predictable, and sinister turns leave the experts baffled. Then a macabre discovery in the Welsh Marches adds an even greater urgency to the hunt. The pressure on Kavanagh for a result is stepped up, but he is evolving a theory of his own - one which brings him smack up against his superiors, and threatens to put his job on the line.