A terminally ill cancer patient is found murdered in hospital. Bennett and Allen are sent to investigate a violent rape, but the victim knows more than she's prepared to admit.

Hannaford raises concerns about Drinkall's health. Bennett and Allen are puzzled as to why someone should be collecting the mail and bringing fresh flowers to a man dead for two months. Drinkall follows up a tip-off about a planned robbery on a pub. Brazil takes matters into his own hands after a suspect gives him the run-around, but gets more than expected in return.

An investigation into pornographic images found on Ludlow's daughter's computer leads to a murder scene. Hannaford starts to feel the pressure and Drinkall refuses to take a back seat, despite having been suspended from duty.

A woman is found dead in a bus shelter outside her own home, but the neighbours are reluctant to get involved. Drinkall's disappearance leads his colleagues to reopen an old case, after it becomes apparent that Drinkall runs his own inquiry. A shopkeeper at the end of his tether resorts to drastic measures in order to be taken seriously. Ludlow's personal life becomes the talk of the department after Brazil reveals Ludlow's secret.

Relations are strained between Ludlow and Brazil after Ludlow discovers who spilled the beans on his affair. They find themselves in further trouble when the suspect they've just arrested collapses of a heart attack. Members of a hostile and divided community seem intent on blaming each other when a prominent human rights lawyer is shot and her body moved from the scene of the crime. Drinkall tries to strike a deal with his informant in order to find out who supplied the gun. Dissatisfied with results, he goes it alone and goes undercover on his own private mission – with devastating results.

A murder inquiry is close to the officers at Brazen Gate CID; tempers fray as they search for Drinkall's killer. The discovery of an old tape of a suspect being interviewed provides a means for the team to come to terms with their loss.