A boy, with a brutal father, is reported missing from his home. The body of a journalist is found on a railway line and within days an escaped convict, with months of his sentence remaining, is found dead. The two men have connections with Blenheim Vale, a disused correctional facility for boys, soon to be redeveloped as a new police headquarters in a reorganization of the local forces. Thursday and Morse's investigation lead to a property developer and corruption in high places including missing police evidence in Morse's last three investigations.