In quiet, peaceful Bamford, a monstrous crime has been committed - a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl has been brutally murdered. Chief Inspector Alan Markby is shocked: has his hometown really changed so much that its streets have become dangerous for children? He does not suspect that this is only the beginning of a series of completely inexplicable tragic events. Meredith Mitchell, a close friend of the inspector, is as energetic as ever and not prone to getting discouraged. Largely thanks to her intuition and courage, the difficult criminal problem eventually finds its solution.