Lexie Reed is back home in Melbourne after five years in New York, newly divorced and coming to terms with life not turning out as she'd planned. She has secured an advance from an up-market women's magazine, to write several articles on domestic violence. Lexie has been given access to a women's shelter for research. Here she meets both acceptance and resistance. Vulnerable women and children are going missing from the shelter. Jillian Laidlaw is one of them. Nobody would have noticed - except that her abusive husband Sean has been murdered. Lexie discovers the whereabouts of Jillian and won't let police politics or her own self-doubts get in the way of rescuing her. She's not going to live life with If Only - not anymore DSS Wil Saddington is in the middle of a divorce he doesn't want, has a partner no on else will work with, and a murder to investigate when all he wants to do is go home and sulk. Lexie isn't going to let that happen. She's in his face, and pushing hard.