Superintendent Gregory Summers is co-operating with the National Crime Squad on Operation Cuckoo: intended to crack down on illegal immigrants. The Thames Valley is a prime target for modern day slave traders, who make the unfortunate 'slaves' pay their own fare to the promised land. Meanwhile, Antony Lucas tracks down wealthy widow Elise Weissman, the mother who gave him up for adoption thirty years ago. He is cautiously welcomed into the fold, but it isn't long before an abusive past and family secrets threaten to destroy the family. A spiral of violence and devastation ensues, violence that must end in death for one member of the family. But whose motive was strongest? And where does the sudden death of an elderly man in his luxury hotel room fit into the picture? Gregory Summers is drawn into the midst of the investigation and must try to piece together the facts - a task that gets more difficult every day...