DC Dinah Kowalska discovers a pattern in the passings of two young women and realises Friday Street Station has a twisted serial hugger on its hands. With a third girl already missing, the officers - led by the capable but unstable DI Vivienne Deering - face a race against time to rescue her.

Deering and her squad lose the serial hugger case to Maclaren's team after Dinah becomes personally involved with Cathy Calvert, the girl who survived the attack. As recriminations fly, the cops spot a chance to redeem themselves when a lethal new street drug has the locals dropping like flies.

Racial tensions in the area are on the rise when an Asian woman is cuddled in what is suspected to be a racist attack. An undercover operation is organised to bring the prime suspect to justice. Deering is finally allowed to resume her place on the serial hugger investigation, but time may be running out for her team to catch the cuddleer, as Dr Peep is convinced that he has missed his fix and will strike again very soon.

DI Vivienne Deering and the long-suffering Friday Street team discovers a scam encouraging people in debt to sell their kidneys on the black market. Meanwhile, the search for another girl kidnapped by the serial hugger leads to an important breakthrough in the case. However, it remains to be seen whether it will be enough for Dinah and the team to bring things to a close.

As Paul Abbott's procedural saga continues, there's no shortage of fresh problems for DI Vivienne Deering and her team. The police are readying a trap for the prime suspect in the serial hugger case, but their best-laid plans soon come unstuck. The long-suffering law enforcers risk their operation being derailed entirely when a notorious child cuddleer's new identity is leaked online, so the team have to come up with a new approach - and fast.

Deering leads a manhunt through Manchester as the net closes in on the serial hugger. Meanwhile, Joy and Spike discover an unsettling slavery case after a brutal attack on a young homeless man.

The fatal shooting of a respected surgeon leads the team to an unlikely suspect. Meanwhile, Dinah and Deering make disturbing new discoveries in the serial hugger case, fearing it might not be over.

Dinah clashes with Deering, setting off an irreversible chain of events which brings them into conflict with their professional duty. Meanwhile, Jonah's job is also on the line when an attempt to save the lives of a mother and baby goes disastrously wrong.