The Queensland police officer based in Cairns, Detective Acting Inspector Bernard Downs, still known as Sarge to all his colleagues, was quickly promoted after his true abilities came to the fore in solving a murder mystery interstate. (See "Last Breath", a novel in the Downs Crime Mystery series). Now aided by a young constable, Nat Johns, he becomes involved in the trail that is discovered when a strange death occurs at a retirement home in Port Douglas. It seems that the Fitzgerald Inquiry in the late 1980's, that saw the demise of a premier, gaoling of a police commissioner and major clean out of the political, legal and policing fraternity didn't root out all corruption. Sarge finds that his investigation into the suspicious death leads to some very high profile people. It puts him and Nat Johns at severe risk and has consequences for Sarge's partner Sarah and, Nat's partner Jess.