Vera has to unravel the circumstances of self-styled entrepreneur Freddie Gill’s death when his body is found by bailiffs attempting to repossess his house. Freddie is estranged from his wife and son – Jade and Riley Gill – who are now living back at her family’s beloved pub with her formidable mother Tina Tripp, volatile brother Lee and taciturn uncle Darren. Matters are further complicated when Vera finds out Jade’s father Arthur, having recently succumbed to terminal illness, had secretly been keeping ties with Freddie despite him having been ejected from the family. Vera soon discovers Freddie’s professional life is just as turbulent when she learns the used-car sales company he runs with business partner and lifelong friend Nasir Ali, is failing and it is targeted by an arson attack. Vera must uncover whether the motive behind Freddie’s death comes from the trouble at the heart of his family, his desperate financial crises or his glances with organised crime.