Accused of murdering her junkie mother and abandoned to a children’s home, 14 year old Kelsey Brand is running out of allies. Until childcare lawyer Lilly Valentine enters the picture… Abandoned by her mother and placed in care, 14-year-old Kelsey – along with her younger sisters – is just another forgotten child of the state. Unable to cope with the care home’s harsh regimes, Kelsey attempts to take her own life, leaving her horrifically scarred – and mute.

          Days later, the body of Kelsey’s mother Grace – a known prostitute and heroin addict – is found butchered on a notorious Luton council estate. And Kelsey becomes a suspect… Enter Lilly Valentine. A tough-talking Yorkshire lawyer with a heart of gold and a will of iron, Lilly has forsaken a glittering career to move south and help vulnerable kids escape the system. Determined to prove Kelsey’s innocence, Lilly ventures into the heart of a dark city with as many secrets as problems. Prostitution, paedophilia, drugs and blackmail: Lily must put her own life at risk to save a silent, terrified child and find the real killer…