On her thirteenth birthday, the daughter of a Bradford judge is kidnapped. Knowing that the first twenty-four hours are crucial to her safety, a massive investigation is is set in motion under Detective Chief Superintendent John Munro. Meanwhile, left off the investigation because of her past encounters with Munro, DC Karen Sharpe is pursuing her own enquiry into historic child abuse allegations. The task looks hopeless, but for Sharpe, anything is better than facing up to her own tangeld personal life.