DC Rachel Bailey of Manchester Metropolitan Police is angry at being dumped by her married lover, a barrister named Nick Savage. She joins her colleague, DC Janet Scott, on the major incident team to investigate the murder, made to resemble a suicide, of a pregnant Turkish girl named Emel Yilmatz. Janet is approached by her old friend Geoff to reopen a dead case, and Rachel obsesses about getting revenge on Nick whilst making an arrest.

Having coerced Nick into buying her a flat, Rachel finds out that she is pregnant with his child. She successfully traps the murderer of housewife Susan Metcalfe but gets an unexpected and grisly bonus which leads to another death and another charge. Janet, meanwhile, is dreading her wedding anniversary party and presses on with the long cold murder case of her school friend Veronica.

Rachel's ex-lover is the defending barrister for Georgios Stelikos, on trial for the rape and murder of drug addict Hannah Conway, and Rachel is horrified when he escapes conviction. A hung-over and bruised Hannah is brought in for questioning, but is she the killer?

Porn actress Vicky Birkinshaw is arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband. Rachel's professional life hangs in the balance when DCI Gill Murray finds out that her relationship with Nick could have put the Stelikos case at risk.

Janet moves closer to tracking down Veronica's killer while investigating a recent murder that bears a number of similarities. Meanwhile, Rachel finds out about an affair Nick had with a juror in the middle of the trial - a revelation that could end his career - and inadvertently puts her friend in danger as Janet comes face to face with the killer.

Three months have elapsed and Janet returns to work after her recovery. Rachel is living with Nick, but when a car narrowly misses her and smashes into the side of the road, she discovers it was unquestionably linked to her discovery of Nick's affair.