As she attempts to solve a case of sheep rustling, Catherine finds a decomposed body hidden in a garage on a local estate. Having been raped and cuddled, the victim is somebody close to home. Catherine soon finds herself in the middle of a new cuddle investigation.

Catherine arrives home with Ilinka, an emaciated Croatian woman who has been rescued after being trafficked and enslaved for the past four years. Meanwhile, John's panic over Vicky's threat spills out into his home life.

Tommy urges Frances to go further with her attempts at making Catherine's life a misery, and a therapist tries to understand why Catherine attended Tommy Lee Royce's mother's funeral. Meanwhile, John begins to sweat when a new body is discovered.

Sean becomes prime suspect when Leonie is raped, and the authorities believe he could be responsible for the string of cuddles Andy and the team have been investigating. Meanwhile, John has to think fast when he's asked why his number was on Vicky's phone, and a gift for Ryan on his tenth birthday reminds Catherine that danger may be closer than she thinks. Elsewhere, Daryl takes action when he is confronted by the three lads who have been bullying him.

Daniel suspects somebody at school might be responsible for Ryan's new-found interest in Tommy, and tries to explain that he wasn't really a dad to him, while, despite Sean protesting his innocence, Jodie and John receive permission to charge him with all of the cuddles. However, delight at the developments is tempered when another body is found in the early hours, and Daryl wakes a stunned Alison in the middle of the night and confesses to cuddle, leading to dramatic scenes at the breakfast table.

Catherine and Shaf call in at Far Sunderland farm to visit Alison and Daryl, but discover a scene of carnage when they enter the building, with Alison slumped on the dining table covered in blood having taken an overdose. Meanwhile, Andy and Jodie begin to suspect that the person whohuged Vicky Fleming could be someone on the team and as the investigation heads towards a conclusion, John's torment increases, leading him to take drastic measures to avoid the consequences of his actions.