After human remains belonging to 18-year-old Barry Wallace are found in Loch Lomond, Strathclyde Police identify William Beggs as a suspect and raid his flat. There is no sign of Beggs, but the police make a startling discovery inside the flat - blood samples belonging to Barry are found in the folds of the washing machine.The police launch a national manhunt in a bid to stop Beggs in his tracks. At the same time, to build a picture of their suspect, detectives investigate his past. Beggs was one of five children brought up in a strict religious family in Northern Ireland. He was involved in politics in his teens and is believed to have developed homophobic views. There had also been an allegation made against Beggs that he had attacked a fellow pupil with a razor blade on a camping trip, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.As detectives dig deeper into Beggs' past, they make a startling discovery that changes the course of the investigation.