DI Jack Frost investigates the disappearance of Tracy Uphill who vanished when her mother was late arriving at the community centre to collect her. He's also assigned DC Barnard, the Chief Constable's nephew, who receives a frosty reception from his fellow officers. In the course of searching for the girl, they uncover human remains that have been buried for 30 years or more. The remains are those of a bank clerk who had vanished with a large sum of money. When the assistant bank manager is murdered with the same gun used to kill the bank clerk, Frost must determine who else might have been implicated in the robbery. All during this time, Frost has to deal with his dying wife and an ever-increasing workload when his chief inspector falls ill.