When eleven year-old Giovanni Mirelti goes missing from his family home in the village of Montenero, Major D'Angelo of the Italian carabinieri takes charge of the search.
Meanwhile, in the city of Pescara, Colonel Battista is faced with what appears to be a drug-related murder, as well as a possible imminent shipment by a people-trafficking gang, information he has gleaned from a prostitute informant.
A clue to Giovanni's disappearance prompts Sergeant Teresa Rossi to visit a British holiday-home owner in North-East England, but the situation becomes increasingly dangerous for everyone involved, leading to a dramatic and shocking climax.