Members of a notorious gang of teenage boys on an estate in east Manchester are being murdered in a particularly gruesome manner. Is it some kind of vendetta? The list of potential suspects would be long if it was but Detective Superintendent Jeff Barton and his team have to contend with a hostile neighbourhood that won't co-operate with them and the death of an elderly woman on the estate who was prevented from getting to hospital on time. A white girl associated with the gang has gone to ground but why? The body count rises and Jeff is suspicious of certain individuals not directly involved with the estate but who may hold vital information, including his sister who comes back into his life following an incident between her employer and Jeff's nephew. Difficult and uncomfortable questions about race relations and the nature of sexual abuse can't be ignored as Jeff and his team try to find their way through a case that isn't quite as simple as just murder.