Life in the peaceful Yorkshire village of Keldale is turned upside down when the local priest, Father Hart, stumbles upon a gruesome murder. Local farmer, William Tey, has been decapitated in his barn. His obese 16- year-old daughter, Roberta, is found next to her father's body in a severely traumatized state.

An avant-garde play is being read and during the reading, the playwright is murdered. However, the murder is not as easily solved as one might think.

Lynley and Havers question Tessa, who paints a disturbing picture of life with William. To fill in the missing pieces, Lynley and Havers begin to search for Roberta's sister, Gillian. Strangely, opinions about her vary dramatically from one person to the next.

The police interrogation has reawakened Phoebe's memories of the nightmare she suffered 10 years ago. Then when Walsh orders a thorough search of the entire estate, the women's privacy is invaded by scores of policemen, as well as by the growing presence of the media and angry villagers outside the gates. As more clues are discovered, they serve only to confuse the investigation into this baffling crime.

As Detective Sergeant Andy McLoughlin examines the evidence, he begins to arrive at different conclusion to his superior. Just when he thinks he has got a confession, one further startling secret is revealed, one final revelation of murderous revenge that will finally melt the ice that has kept Streech Grange and its inhabitants frozen for a decade - the mystery of what happened to David Maybury.