Drugs, arson and armed robbery send the investigating officers of the Kent Street CID down a path that, in the end, leads to death and destruction. They set out to track down a merciless killer who leaves his victim to be devoured by fire. As they probe deeper, it leads them to yet another of the killer's victims and then down into the dark and the sinister world of drug trafficking. A separate investigation has them delving into the past. Pushing back time, one of the team unearths the tragic story of a man who went missing many years before and whose remains had been discovered in a drainage channel out on the Kent marshes. An armed hold-up has the team scouring the town for a man using an unusual weapon. It's also time for DCI Carter to make a move from the past and into the future. He has a big decision to make. One that will affect him for the rest of his life.