Innocent young Charity Pritchard hasn't had much of a life. Her parents are strict religious fundamentalists who deny her simple teenage pleasures such as jeans or makeup. Now Charity is missing, and her parents want to leave the matter in God's hands, much to the concern of Inspector Luke Thanet. When Charity's body is found in a back alley, Inspector Thanet determines to bring to light the dark details of her unhappy, secret life, piece by piece.