Almost as soon as Claire Walters moved into Tulip Cottage, she came to the conclusion after experiencing two disturbing incidents that the picturesque and tranquil surroundings could be misleading and when the body of a woman was discovered in an area close to the cottage locally known as Nettles Hollow, she knew these first impressions had been justified.

As the murder enquiry progressed, it became clear to Upper Nettles' Chief Inspector Richard Cavendish and his subordinate, Inspector Peter Gale, that the case was more complex than it had at first seemed, in that the victim, Glenda Nicholson, had tenuous, although possibly significant links with an ongoing case of fraud currently being investigated by New Scotland Yard in London whereby investors' funds were being systematically siphoned off by either individual dealers or an organised consortium.

When the body of a young man is retrieved from a half-submerged vehicle off the coast of nearby Lymington, there was every indication the two deaths were in some way connected, especially as the victim's bicycle was found in Nettles Hollow, only metres away from where an attempt had been made to conceal the body of Glenda Nicholson.

The parallels between the two enquiries narrow with the discovery by Claire of a computer disc among her personal possessions, the contents of which provide New Scotland Yard with positive leads towards uncovering those responsible for the illegal trading, including the person who had compiled the data. Although continuing to treat the enquiries into the murders in Upper Nettles and the fraud case as two separate entities, Keith Armstrong, a senior officer at New Scotland Yard and Chief Inspector Cavendish, liaise closely over certain overlapping of information and, following many surprising twists and turns as each potential suspect is questioned, both cases are finally and dramatically concluded.