As a new day dawns in Melbourne, Jack Irish finds himself staring down the barrel of a brand new case; after a random summons by one Travis Dilthey, Jack is engaged to track down Travis' missing brother Wayne.

Travis Dilthey has vanished and Jack is beginning to fear that the Wayne Dilthey frame-up may be a personal vendetta; in Manila, Linda is watched like a hawk as her attempts to contact renowned terrorist Hadji Adhib are thwarted.

Jack is determined to uncover the one who framed him for Wayne Dilthey's murder, convinced of a potential conspiracy stretching deep into the prison and church repatriation system run by the Way of the Cross.

Sarah's convinced that Pastor Rob Shand is responsible for her sister's fate, and a cryptically antagonistic visit with the man of the cloth himself convinces Jack of the same.

With vengeance coursing through Jack's veins, his friends do all they can to pacify him; Harry and Cam focus Jack on a prospective equine venture; Barry Tregear threatens him with the full force of the law.

Jack is now on the run from both the police and the members of Via Crucis; Jack convinces Cam to return with him to the Way of the Cross factory where a secretive entry into a shipping container exposes a cache of weapons and ammunition.