The Old Bailey, London, 1970. Gently is bowing out of the force on a professional high when he is approached by a covert anti-corruption police unit with one last tantalising job: The cold case of a young girl murdered four years ago in new town Washington, County Durham. The investigation finds Gently tracking MP Michael Clements, a charismatic politician who fearlessly pursues political reform in the North, promotes ever-closer links to Europe, and who is tipped to be a future Labour Prime Minister. When the investigation leads to a murky web of union and political intrigue, placing Bacchus and Rachel in danger, will Gently do the unthinkable and bend the course of justice? How can Bacchus and Gently repair their frosty relationship - and faced with mortal danger, how will Gently and his team survive?