A charred corpse and a set of footprints in the snow lead Celcius Daly into the twilight world of people trafficking. Inspector Celcius Daly is hunting for a missing woman who disappeared one winter's night along the Irish border, leaving in her wake the corpses of two men.

Soon Daly is involved in a life-or-death chase, leading him deep into border country: a wild terrain of disappearing lanes and blown-up bridges, abandoned ghost-estates and thick forests - the ultimate refuge for anyone who does not want to be found.