Until now, the East Anglian city of Peterborough has enjoyed a low murder rate. When the body of a young white woman is found mutilated and abandoned in a park and with her Asian boyfriend missing. Detective Chief Inspector MILLARD, ex-paratrooper and Falklands veteran with Peterborough's Major Investigation Team is called in. Enquiries lead him to suspect an ancient religious cult which is steeped in folklore and has strong historical links to Peterborough. At the same time, the investigation treads on the toes of the Pakistan Mafia sparking a violent reaction. Frank must race against time to save the lives of his family and those of his colleagues. Frank Millard is assisted by Julie Morris, a talented and brilliant Scenes of Crime Officer. When the decapitated body of the missing boy is found floating in the river and another woman is kidnapped off the street, Frank Millard and his team suspect that they have a racist serial murderer on their hands. Though the team are unable at this stage to come up with a credible theory as to why, each of the murders appears to be oddly connected by sightings and evidence of a large stag.