A man's body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker on the common outside Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens. The victim is Josh, a staff member who was due to work the previous night but never showed up for his shift.

DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate. Her only clue is the disappearance of one of the home's residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can't bring herself to believe that a teenager could be responsible for the murder, but even she can't dismiss the possibility.

Vera, Joe, and new team member Rosie are soon embroiled in the case. But when a second body, connected to Josh, is found near the Three Dark Wives standing stones in the wilds of the Northumbrian countryside, superstition and folklore collide with fact.

Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, but it seems that the dark secrets in their community may be far more dangerous that she could ever have believed possible.