When student Melissa O'Grady is found dead in the Yarra River her death is dismissed as just another suicide until her mentor, architect Liz Shapcott, convinces disgraced British secret service agent Bromo Perkins that Melissa's death was murder and prevails upon him to unravel the events leading up to her death. And so, once again, Bromo is dragged reluctantly into scouring the streets and byways of Richmond as he plunges into a seedy and dangerous network of unscrupulous estate agents, crooked cops, corrupt city officials and a thriving white slave trade among the suburb's migrant community. His execution is called for and when he is kidnapped and driven deep into the heart of a state forest there seems to be little hope of escaping his determined killer captors.