Detective Inspector "Sarge" Downs of the Queensland police was returning to Cairns when he was witness to the horrific slaying of a young motorbike rider. Cradling the dying young woman in his arms he made a silent vow to find the assassins. In investigating the death with the aid of colleagues, Acting Detective Sergeant Nat Johns and Constable Liz Rhodes, he finds an extraordinary web of criminal activity hiding just below the surface. Real estate fraud, extortion, prostitution, money laundering, drug trafficking and people smuggling are all somehow linked to the death of this bright young university student. Border Force and the Australian Federal Police become involved and assist Sarge and his team in solving the murder.