Dalgliesh is sent on an urgent mission to investigate a terrorist plot against a nuclear power station on the Kent coast. He is soon drawn into a complex and highly charged hunt for a serial killer, working once more alongside former colleague Kate Miskin, now an acting DCI.

The hunt is on for a second killer as the threat to the local community looms larger than ever. Can Dalgliesh unpick a complex web of loyalties before it's too late?