When salesman Tony Silkstone confesses to murder, the top brass of the Heckley police are keen to convict and close the lurid case. But Detective Inspector Charlie Priest is not convinced that things are as simple as they seem. A hitman turns up in town, a juvenile car thief wreaks havoc and Charlie complicates matters further when he starts dating one of his colleagues.

As links between his case and another murder emerge, Charlie pursues the trail and finds himself faced with questions about his own friends and his feelings towards them.