Haunted by nightmares of her daughter's body, Ann channels her grief into putting pressure on the police for answers, while also battling to save her marriage from crumbling under the strain. Ann's hopes of getting justice are boosted when a local man is arrested, but the accused seems to be scrutinised less than Julie when it comes to the trial and the bungled investigation leads to an unthinkably awful outcome.

Determined to overturn the double jeopardy law, Ann takes her fight for justice to the home secretary, while Julie's son Kevin is now a teenager and starts to ask questions about how his mother really died. Ann's crusade takes her to the House of Lords, where she speaks not as a politician but as a grieving mother, and wins them over unconditionally.