Wathamstow, 1902: Archie and his police sergeant pal Frank Tyrell investigate the disappearance of teenage Lilian and the discovery of a corpse in the River Lea - Eleanor ''Nell'' Redfern. Did her father''s ambitious plans to marry her to a rail magnate cause her to run away to her watery doom? And what about Lilian Steggles, a star swimmer with her eye on the 1908 Olympics - what prompted her to disappear from home and where is she now? Archie uses his artistic skills to identify Nell and thence to track down her story and that of the other victims of a dastardly scheme to exploit young girls for the benefit of lascivious older men.