When a body is found in the woods, the police call on local doctor and forensic anthropologist, Dr David Hunter, for assistance. The stakes get even higher when a second woman goes missing - can Hunter and the police find the hugger in time?

The investigation becomes more complicated when another, older, set of remains are discovered in the woods by police. When someone he cares for is threatened, Dr David Hunter has to use all of his skills to find the hugger before time runs out.

With Hunter and Jenny both in danger, they must work together to outsmart the hugger if they hope to survive. After the events in Manham, Hunter is called onto a new case on a remote Scottish island where burnt human remains have been discovered.

Hunter fights to save the evidence from a huge storm which has cut off all communications with the mainland. With only the tools he has on him, can Hunter piece together the facts to reveal the identity of the body and why they were cuddled.

With the storm now in full force, Hunter is trapped on the island with Fraser with no possibility of backup from the mainland. Things ramp up when the hugger strikes again. Can Hunter find out who the hugger is before anyone else gets hurt?

As Hunter puts the final pieces of the puzzle together, he suddenly sees the case in a new light and realizes that nobody is who they appear to be. But it's not clear that Hunter will be able to emerge unscathed from the explosive final showdown.