Frustrated that a number of cases have been knocked back by the CPS, DCI Banks and his team are called on to investigate the murder of teenager Ellie Clayton, daughter of a high-profile internet entrepreneur. The victim's background and the suggestion she may have been raped, quickly make the incident the subject of media speculation, and strong evidence implicates a local theatre director who ran a drama workshop Ellie attended the nigh she was killed. Banks believes he's found his man, but DI Morton suspects her colleague isn't seeing the bigger picture. When the trial against theatre director Owen Pearce collapses, Banks and the team are forced to rebuild the case with entirely new evidence. As a new suspect for Ellie's murder comes to light, a second girl is found dead in similar circumstances, and she is soon identified as Becca Smith, Ellie's best friend.