Driving home from a late meeting, a businessman loses concentration, crashes off the road and is flung through the windscreen of his car. His dying view is of what he thinks is the angel of death. The next morning, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lapslie and Sergeant Emma Bradbury are called to the scene of the accident. They are not there to investigate the businessman's death, rather the decaying corpse found lying next to him. Shredded plastic sheeting wrapped around the corpse make it look as if it has sprouted macabre wings. Meanwhile, Violet Chambers is taking tea with an elderly lady named Daisy. With no warning Daisy falls to the floor, her skin burning, her eyes streaming. Looking on, Violet calmly drinks her tea and waits... DCI Lapslie's investigations put him on the trail of a serial killer who, it soon becomes clear, has struck again and again, moving from victim to victim stealing their lives, possessions and identities. But the detective is not the only one seeking the killer's true identity, for as she circles her latest victim, long-buried memories are beginning to surface...