While living in Europe, Natalie, a British woman, learns that a headmaster, Jack Callister from her hometown Nottingham, has been jailed for historic sex crimes against his pupils during the 1980s. Jack was a friend of her late boyfriend, David, who had died suddenly while alone at home 26 years ago. Natalie also learns that Jack had secretly married David's ex-girlfriend, Helen, who had inherited quite a lot of wealth from David's somewhat-unexpected death. Intrigued and suspicious, Natalie contacts her old friend Jim, a retired police chief living in Nottingham. They decide to investigate the historic events further. They uncover the catastrophic effects Jack's crimes had on his desperate and tormented victims, together with the police's mishandling of evidence that enabled Jack to escape justice for so long. The book is inspired by a true story, though the characters and some events are fictional.