In a race down the Thames, Detective Chief Inspector John Kerr is caught in a fight to the death with two gold smugglers. The American wife of the British Defence Secretary is brutally murdered while walking her dog. A senior judge is executed in Middle Temple Lane. Blocked by 'affirmative inaction' at New Scotland Yard and MI6, Kerr deploys a talented female operative undercover to force the truth. As attacks escalate, Kerr confronts treachery and corruption from his own side and resorts to action as extreme as the dark forces turning against him.