Ten years have passed since Jeanie Long was accused of murdering fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel. And now the inhabitants of the Yorkshire village of Elvet are horrified to learn that new evidence has emerged indicating Genie’s innocence. So Abigail's killer is still at large. For Emma Bennett, the discovery means the return of memories of her bubbly friend - and the eerie winter day when she discovered her body lying in a cold ditch. Inspector Vera Stanhope begins a new investigation in a coastal village, and her the residents are forced back to a time they had hoped to forget. The tension is rising. But what are they more afraid of - the killer or their own shameful past? Gradually, Vera learns the history of each of them and is increasingly convinced that she will soon have to reveal several terrible secrets.