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Lawyer Maya Cobbina returns to London from Louisiana where she has been trying to halt the execution of falsely accused murderer Rudy Jones. Her head of chambers Jimmy tells her that she could be in line for the job of Director of Public Prosecutions, a role which would also allow her to investigate the death of her friend and anti-racist campaigner Michael Antwi. Maya's good news is shared with her husband of twenty years Nick , an attentive son to his own father dying in a hospice, and their children. However Nick is an ex-policeman and his wife's news prompts his former superior Paul Brightwell to persuade him to spy on Maya's political activities.
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As Maya faces the interview panel for the DPP post she passionately impresses upon them her belief in principles over compromise, unaware that Nick has been asked to spy on her. Nick - not his real name - meanwhile recalls how he had gone undercover some years earlier to investigate activist Michael Antwi, a supporter of Rudy Jones. Here he met Maya whilst on an anti-racist march, gaining her trust by helping her escape from the police and eventually romancing her whilst Michael suffered in custody.
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In 1996 Michael is killed by a cell-mate in police custody at Hackney but Brightman orders a cover-up by the officers involved. Maya attempts to expose the true facts helped by her journalist friend Julia but Julia is compromised into dropping the story. Julia also has suspicions about Nick's account of himself but Maya loves him and the feeling seems to be mutual. Twenty years later Abigail Strickland, one of the Hackney officers ,contacts Maya to tell her about Michael's death and Nick's true identity but Maya has to travel to Louisiana for a further stay of Rudy's execution and asks Nick to see her. As a result Maya never gets the message but Julia tells her she has seen Nick with Abigail and this has a bad effect on Maya.
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As Maya recovers from a seizure Nick, encouraged by Brightman, tells her that he had had an affair with Abigail, claiming that they had been abused when they were in care together. Julia and colleague Alex Brady identify Abigail as the dead mystery woman in the papers and, though her editor tries to side-line her, Julia tells Maya, who then visits Aiden Rose, an officer who resigned after Michael's death and who confirms her suspicions. Nick is now anxious to reveal all to Maya but Maya does her own detective work as to his background and, whilst seeing Rudy Jones in Louisiana, receives a phone call which truly shocks her.
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In Louisiana Maya, now fully aware of Nick's deception, loses her case to prove Rudy not competent for execution. Things seem hopeful when Vernon Early, who can give Rudy an alibi, comes forward but he is found dead after Maya's son Dan has relayed the news to Nick in the presence of his handler Carter. On return to England Maya confronts Nick and learns more about Antwi's death whilst Alex and Julia take a photo of Brightman, whom custody officers at Hackney recognize though nobody knows his name and Nick tells Maya that to expose him would prove fatal for the whole family.
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Desperate for his family's safety Nick tricks handler Carter into a confession which he hopes will reopen the Antwi case whilst Julia and Alex realize Nick's true identity. Maya appears at the Supreme Court in Washington before a trio of judges to plead for Rudy's life, with Rudy as a witness - which works to their advantage, Returning home she finds an illuminating message from Nick, leading to a race to save his life and to finally expose the truth, some of which is shocking and not all of which has a satisfactory outcome though the family remains united.
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