Frost investigates the death of a young junkie, Ben Cornish. He is assisted by DC Costello, recently demoted after a punch up with a superior officer. The pathologist initially believes that Cornish choked on his own vomit but the autopsy reveals that he was beaten to death. Cornish had been in a good deal of trouble lately. He had stolen from his sister, he was harassing a local doctor and had been forcefully evicted while squatting in an abandoned house. A chance comment from a police constable gives Frost the vital information needed to bring the case to a close.