After dropping off a girl at a children's home, Dave and Cathy get called back in for a potential suicide. The girl Dave brought back in the morning seems to be the last person to see the dead girl alive. The man in charge of the home resigns. The dead girl had a boyfriend who, according to her diary, took her to Spain and Wales as well as other places. There was an unreported break-in. This and some photographs the disappearing girl had seem to be connected to the suicide.

Ashton reels after being accused of cowardice by new boy Smithy. The team attend a group counselling session over Smithy's attack, but tensions only rise further between the uniform officers. After Ashton leaves the meeting, Rickman speaks up for him, but Ashton is convinced his colleagues have turned against him. Paired with Quinnan, Ashton investigates claims by a reformed dealer, Larry Moore, that a bag of drugs have been planted at his home. When a local youth accuses Moore of dealing again, Beech arrests him and comes down hard, but his methods leave Moore unhinged. After discovering his wife was responsible for the drugs, he abducts his young daughter. When Moore feels he has been backed into a corner, he snaps and takes horrific action, with a shell-shocked Ashton questioning his capability for the job in the wake of the day's shocking events.