Detective Chief Inspector Joe Delaney is a tough, hard drinking, Liverpool cop. Unfortunately, his alcohol abuse and obsession with his work has resulted in three failed marriages and six children. He is a man of strong moral character who believes strongly in the law and justice, but has a tendency to bend the rules if he thinks the punishment doesn't fit the crime. He is hot tempered, awkward, and forgetful, yet, his inadequacies seem to bring out a comical and caring eccentricity to his character. After a mutilated body is found in a derelict warehouse on Liverpool's dockland, his tough persona is brought to the test. The discovery of the corpse leads Joe into a tangled web of murder, deceit and intrigue as a spate of gruesome 'nursery rhyme' murders begin to occur.