DCI Kelso Strang is led to believe that something very odd is going on around the prosperous fishing port of Tarleton on Scotland's south-east coast.
Firstly, a young detective inspector is traumatised after witnessing a doctor throwing herself off a cliff, and accusations of extortion have riven the local community. When the ugly death of a young farmer sets off a murder investigation, Strang finds himself caught in a spider's web of criminality.
He is entirely unprepared when he is struck by the worst tragedy of his career, even though it has connected him with an advocate's assistant, Catriona, daughter of DI Marjory Fleming.