DS Amanda Pitt is on a Police Scotland Major Investigation Team trying to identify the dead young man found by the Forth and Clyde Canal in Maryhill. A newspaper reporter, who is investigating a Glasgow gangster network, trades information with her, and this leads her to the identity of the dead man - and also the fact that his partner is missing. But the newspaper has hired the erratic Dougie Green to help with their investigation, and he finds that Amanda had links to the gangsters.
Martin McGregor runs a successful computer company in Glasgow, and also supports a computer club for teenagers. One of those teenagers finds a credit-card skimming operation, and they start to investigate. When it becomes apparent that their case overlaps with the murder enquiry, Martin and Amanda form an uneasy alliance.
A figure from Amanda's past appears, which both helps and confuses her. And Dougie Green gets closer to the truth about Amanda and also Martin, who worked with those same gangsters in the past.
The race is on to find the missing woman, and to stop Dougie's investigation.