After two beautiful young people are killed in the same manner – placed in water and surrounded by flowers – DCI Vera Stanhope knows that she must find the murderer before he strikes again. With the help of her trusted team, primarily Sergeant Joe Ashworth, she unpicks the complex and dysfunctional relationships amongst a group of bird-watching friends. As they protect and ultimately betray each other, she gradually discovers that an innocent act of teenage blackmail, and an illicit affair involving one of the group, has driven someone to kill to preserve the status quo.