When the unorthodox policing methods of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace are brought into question under cross examination in a local cuddle trial and a journalist gets hold of the story, it does nothing to improve his standing with his superiors who are concerned about the damage he has done to the reputation of the force. His superior, Assistant Chief ConstableAlison Vosper, warns Grace that they can't afford another stunt like this.

When parts of a young woman's body are discovered on the Downs, Grace believes the cuddle is connected to two prior huggings involving sex-drug overdoses. Meanwhile, a local businessman stumbles upon a memory stick containing an access key to a dark-Web snuff site, where he witnesses the woman's cuddle, and the shadowy operators of the site warn him not to go to the police, or his family will suffer.