Set in Belfast after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 2000, this is a novel about the intertwined relationship between the establishment and street criminals during this period Donny Campbell is an infamous paramilitary figure, who is a reflection of a violent society. He is sexually repressed and vents his anger and sexual frustration in a cocktail of violence and warped depravity, ultimately hidden in a world where murder and immorality are almost considered normal. Donny finds a kindred spirit in Lord Roddy Harding, a man working in the highest echelons of Ulster and London society. Their relationship fractures when Donny becomes a liability as he becomes increasingly unstable and reckless. The British state assassinate Campbell, and by dispatching one of its prolific foot soldiers maintain a fragile peace, save Harding's reputation and that of the Government.