An unofficial strike is stretching the Seattle police force to breaking point. Detective Lou Boldt is committed to remaining on the job come what may, but when the city is hit by a string of robberies and the brutal near-murder of a female cop, the mounting pressures start to threaten his marriage and his state of mind. With the help of two of the few colleagues still working, he makes slow progress towards cracking the case, but things begin to spin out of control when he is pressured to drop his line of investigation, and it becomes clear that his life is in danger if he refuses. Working with police psychologist Daphne Matthews, he gradually begins to unravel a mystery which connects the robberies, the assault, and the crippling strike ...