James Ritchie was looking forward to a boy's day out with his son, Wilbur - even if he was a little late in picking him up from the home of his ex-wife, Anna. Annoyed by his late arrival, and competing for their son's attention, Anna leaves the two of them to their day with the promise of a roast dinner when Wilbur returns. 

But Anna will never see her family again. The next day, James and Wilbur are found dead, the victims of a double stabbing on the beach. DI Toni Kemp of Sussex police, must unravel a case which has shocked the country to its core. What she discovers will lead her to Blacklock House, a grand county mansion, long ago converted into apartments. Here in the middle of nowhere, where a peacock struts the lawn, and a fountain plays intermittently, seven long-term residents have seen more than they should.  But this is a community that is good at keeping secrets...