The final part of the Lake District Trilogy. A man is arrested at a house in Carlisle, Cumbria, after a witness reports an assault on a young teenage girl. The evidence is incontestable, the trial verdict a certainty. The man, Gerald Neames, turns out to be an ordained priest. Other girls also appear to be at risk, but Neames refuses to cooperate with the police. Detective Inspector Harriet Calder is seconded to the Safeguarding Unit, tasked with the identification of any other victims. Among the forensic exhibits is a small chalice bearing the fingerprint of a girl who went missing years ago.