Three policemen are brutally murdered while London is gripped by World Cup celebrations in 1966.

The country is in uproar after the murder of three police officers. Tony Meehan is suddenly in demand as the acknowledged expert on Billy Porter, and Frank Taylor is distraught at the death of his best friend. Five years later, Billy is still on the run and Tony's obsession with him has hurt his career in journalism.

In 1985, nearly 20 years after the killings, the trail on Billy Porter has gone cold. Tony's career is on the skids, but he continues to keep in touch with Lily in the hope that she will reveal something new about her son. Frank is now a DCI, but he is unfulfilled, and Billy has managed to lose himself amongst some new-age travellers, until Tony comes after him.