Paul is the son of a nightclub bouncer - physically imposing, he's been typecast his whole life as a bruiser, a thug. That's why Paul is drawn to Chris, his opposite. Chris is the illegitimate son of a prominent peer - privileged, reckless and flamboyant; he represents a world that Paul has always felt excluded from. Their meeting gives rise to a third collision - with Laura, a trainee barrister from a Muslim Pakistani background. Laura's family are heavily involved in organised crime in Manchester. Laura is determined to walk away from her family. When Laura meets Chris, he represents a way out, a path to freedom. But Laura's brother has other ideas. And so does Paul. When Laura disappears, her family employ an ex-policeman, Mark Johnson, to track her down. His investigation leads to Spain, where Laura and Chris are in hiding. On his return, Mark is savagely murdered, leaving his colleague, Andy McCall to track down Chris and Laura before Laura's family can get to them first. As the ripples of their actions spread outward, the novel moves from London, through Manchester to Spain. And finally, in the last, shocking pages, to the war-torn landscape of North-West Frontier Pakistan, where blood and mercy go hand-in-hand.