At the beginning of summer, a young Lotto millionaire is found dead in the clay pit of a renowned pottery retreat. The body is laid out in the shape of an X, with markings in the earth that resemble an angel-deliberate, unsettling, and inexplicable.
As the investigation begins, Sergeant Bill Granger and Constable Niko Sopoaga find themselves drawn into a case that quickly becomes more complex. The town of Matakana is already under a youth gang is leaving a trail of fear and fury in their wake-shoplifting sprees, smash-and-grab raids, and brazen dine-and-dashes that are pushing local shopkeepers to the brink.
At the same time, Annika Granger is immersed in a family history project when she uncovers wartime notebooks and forgotten photographs-remnants of the days when US Marines were stationed in the area during WWII. But one discovery leads to another, and soon Annika is staring down a secret buried for generations.
As Sergeant Granger receives the devastating news that the Matakana station may be closing, a second victim is discovered-laid out in the same chilling manner. Links emerge to a historical crime, and the question what dark motive connects the past and the present.