It is Havers' first day back at work after being shot, and her first case involves a young woman murdered with a shotgun in rural Suffolk. Though Havers is outwardly stoic, Lynley worries that it will reopen old wounds. When a photograph of the murdered woman arguing with a man is sent to the local police station, and a mysterious word is painted on the wall of the crime scene, it seems that someone connected with the case is trying to send them clues.