Ten years ago, 13-year-old Scarlett Rainsford vanished while on a family holiday to Greece. Was she abducted, or did she run away from the family that, at best, would be described as dysfunctional? Lou Smith worked on the case as a police constable, and failing to find any trace of Scarlett was always one of the biggest regrets of her career. So no one is more surprised than Lou to learn that, during a Special Branch warrant on a brothel in Briarstone, Scarlett has been found. But Lou and her Major Crime team are already working at full stretch: 19 year old Ian Palmer has been found badly beaten after a night out in Briarstone town centre; a few days later, one of the town's entrepreneurs, bar owner Carl McVey, has been found half-buried in woodland, robbed of his Rolex and his cash. While Lou tries to establish the links between the two cases, DS Sam Hollands works with Special Branch to try and gain as much intelligence from Scarlett as possible. Where has she been all this time? How did she end up back in her home town? And why do her family seem less than enthusiastic about seeing her again? Only Scarlett's older sister, Juliettewho has spent ten years blaming herself for Scarlett's abduction seems pleased to have her back, despite the Rainsfords' desperate attempts to shield the emotionally fragile Juliette from any external stress. Meanwhile Lou is experiencing another side of sibling rivalry, as her relationship with Senior Analyst Jason is threatened by the temptations presented by his charismatic older brother, Mike. When a brutal assault and homicide are linked to the McVey murder, Lou's cases collide and she begins to suspect that the violence may be linked to the trafficking organisations operating in the area. As the pressure for a result mounts, it seems that only Scarlett holds the key to the criminal group orchestrating the violenceand, like everyone else, Scarlett has secrets to keep.
