The Staffordshire villages are giving DCI Vic Hardcastle a headache. As well as a couple of unsolved murders, two remand prisoners have just escaped. One of them, Tony King, is a dangerous career criminal. The race is on to capture him, especially when Vic learns that he's out to get his ex-wife, Michelle, whom he blames for his arrest.
Vic's attention is diverted by a family tragedy, so DS Stuart Young takes over the search for King, who is now involved with Michelle's sister. The trail leads to an industrial estate, where King is holding the two women. A gunshot is heard, and King is found dead inside. One of the sisters killed him.
But which one?