When scribbled notes written by a troubled teenager who committed suicide thirteen years ago come to light, Paget and his team reopen the investigation into a series of robberies that ended with the vicious killing of two people.

When Antonia Halliday is found dead in a barn, her head and neck slashed with an old-fashioned sickle, Paget and Tregalles attend the scene. The victim is from Bromley Manor, the country home of a highly respected family with links to the chief constable, and Chief Superintendent Brock warns Paget to tread carefully. With all the evidence drawing Paget back to the manor, he soon finds himself at odds with his superiors - and the killer is not quite...