It appeared that Helen McAllister - for whatever reason - had simply got out of the car sometime the previous morning, taking her keys and bag and phone with her, and walked away...

Ten years later there has been no trace found of the teacher who went missing from a small village on the last day of the school year. Her lover Alice Hauser's accusations of impropriety on the part of the senior investigating officer, DI Thomas Maitland, led to his early retirement, his life in disrepair.

Maitland now lives alone, consumed with grief over the death of his wife two years ago. Then he's involved in a road accident in which a man is killed. The victim's twin, John, is convinced that Maitland is to blame for his brother's death. And when John meets Alice, they are determined that Maitland should pay the price they demand of him...