A ruthless kidnapper holds a supermarket chain to ransom by threatening the life of a young boy.

The body of Lemmy Hoxton, a small-time burglar, is found at an abandoned farm. There is a spate of break-ins where the intruder gives the sleeping children injections, which reminds Frost of a similar series a few years earlier. A man returns home late one night to find his children dead and his wife missing. Frost's investigations make as many demands on his compassion as on his professional expertise, and he makes a serious error of judgement.