The discovery of a man’s corpse creates public outcry and leads to divisions within the force.
Belfast police are totally in the dark as to who the victim is, although strange incisions on his back suggest a personally motivated crime.
When the press go to town with alarming theories, DCI Gawn Girvin resolves to fight back by enlisting the help of an ambitious young journalist to get the media on side.
Yet when the reporter’s life is threatened, the detective clashes with her trusted lieutenant, DI Paul Maxwell.
With her judgement under question, Girvin is accused of jeopardising public safety. Will she crack the case and survive with her career intact?