Amelia Hartliss is employed by British Security Services to defend the nation against attacks. She is used to that, but in the normal run of things, the assaults are coming from abroad, from extremists not born and raised in this country. It is therefore a nasty surprise to find terrorists on her own doorstep, right in her home town. It's a new challenge, and a bigger fight than anything she's ever seen. If only she had help - but her time and attention are being distracted by her cousin Liv, who is asking Melia for help in clearing the name of a mutual friend who has been sent to prison for a crime he says he didn't commit. It's a nasty business, made worse by the fact that the 'crime' is something that polite people don't like to talk about. Her absence only makes things worse at Regional Office, where the Deputy Director finds himself with a new job - clearing out the stable. He has an idea: Melia could be the first to go.