Peter Scattergood has it all: the position of deputy district attorney, a loving wife and a house in a prestigious area. He is confident that the case assigned to him about the murder of the mayor's nephew and his lover will be the first step on the ladder leading to the heights of his career. But Peter's illusions collapse in an instant. Suddenly his wife leaves him, the case of a double murder stalls, and Skapergood has to go through a series of dark days before he uncovers a terrible secret linking the disappearance of his wife with a bloody drama in the family of a high-ranking politician.