The quiet family life on Waiheke Island is disrupted when family father Spencer Morris is kidnapped from his idyllic home. As Jess begins the investigation, several witnesses say Spencer had an affair with a teenage boy.

The skeleton of a child is found on a marijuana farm. The local Maori community and an alternative community next door are under suspicion. Harding is reminded of his past as a foster child by the investigation.

When a child's skeleton is dug up on a dope plantation, suspicion is cast on the local Maori community and nearby commune dwellers. Harding finds it hard to separate the investigation from his own memories of foster care.

Jess's relationship with the commune founders makes the investigation complex. Meanwhile, the blackmailer loses patience with Jess, and Harding catches her in a compromising position.

A stabbing at a building site inevitably throws immigrant workers under suspicion. Harding comes up with a plan to turn the tables on Jess's blackmailer.

A death puts Sarah Scully in the spotlight and Jess tries to figure out what Ruby's role was. To her horror, Jess discovers who her blackmailer is.