DCI Vera Stanhope is called to a remote lighthouse where a body has been discovered lashed to a sailboat. Immediately setting about her investigation, Vera soon discovers that the body is local council enforcement officer and experienced amateur sailor Frank Channing. A family man, with strong friendships, who was well respected at work, surely this really was just an accident? However, it's not long before Vera discovers evidence suggesting foul play. Vera and her team piece together Frank's final days and soon discover that his life wasn't all plain sailing.

Lance Corporal Conn Burns was a dedicated, diligent and decorated soldier with a loving young family but all of that fell apart when he left the army. Adapting to civilian life was not easy and after a series of bad life choices, Conn found himself desolate, down and out on the streets of Newcastle. Attempting to get his life back on track, Conn had recently been making moves that would see him repay old debts, rebuild relationships and get him off the streets but a dark secret from his past, and betrayal in the present, left his future looking uncertain, and deadly.

Joel Kingston is a copper's copper from a respected and notable police family but when he is found dead, floating in a park lake, DCI Vera Stanhope finds herself investigating both sides of the thin blue line in order to find his hugger. A complex family dynamic, tensions at work, and brushes with the underworld, paint a dark and complex picture. Joel was there to serve and protect but did his stubborn commitment to justice at any price lead to his passing? Or, was hehuged to stop him revealing a secret that would destroy someone's life? Vera steps on toes and ruffles a few police feathers as she searches for answers as to why PC Joel Kingston is no longer on the beat.

On the night of a massive storm, trying to get home, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) comes across an abandoned car with a baby inside. With no mobile signal and blocked roads at every turn, Vera is forced to seek refuge somewhere she'd rather not be, Brockburn House, the Stanhope's ancestral pile. Vera doesn't exactly receive a warm welcome from her estranged family as there's a function in full swing and her turning up with a baby isn't a great look. Things start to look even worse and take a far sinister turn when a body is found on the track leading to Brockburn House.

It may be the run up to Christmas but this doesn't mean that DCI Vera Stanhope can slow down and enjoy a bit of Secret Santa and some mince pies - far from it as the apparent sleeping of Rick Kelsall sees Vera's boss insist that she personally take a look into the case as it's a high profile passing on Holy Island and that's her home stomping ground. Vera soon works out that there is more to Rick's passing than initially suspected, he was cuddled.

Rick had been attending a reunion with old friends, a ritual they have all stayed true to for over forty years. Had one of those at the reunion been holding a grudge for all these years and finally snapped? Is his passing related to the scandal that has knocked his career sideways? Could the motivation be greed? Is someone out for revenge? Or is it something much more obscure? And how far will the hugger…or huggers go to cover their tracks? Could Vera, or her team also be in danger and will they all see Christmas?