DI Tome Mariner is about to take a well-earned break when six-week-old Jessica Klinnemann is abducted from the creche at a local day nursery. His leave cancelled, Mariner becomes the lead on the highly public case. But what at first appears to be a random kidnap fradually begins to look like a meticulouslt planned operation. The motive remains unclear, until Mariner discovers that the baby's father works for a scientific research company that has long been the target of animal rights activists. Two days later Jessica tunrs up, unharmed, a crude note seeming to confirm that animal rights protesters were behind the scare. But when one of the creche workers is killed in a hit and run, the case is blown wide open...