When a prostitute is found brutally murdered in her bedsit, the Metropolitan Police launch an investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison seizes the opportunity to get noticed in the male-dominated world of Scotland Yard when she is reluctantly assigned to lead the case. Facing intense institutional sexism, with her male colleagues openly hoping to see her fail, Tennison notices crucial details—such as the victim's shoes—that others have missed, leading her to believe the initial identification of the body is a mistake. DNA evidence points to a previously convicted man, George Marlow, as the prime suspect, but the case is far from clear cut. As Tennison struggles to gather solid evidence and make the charges stick, a second body turns up, putting immense pressure on her to prove her mettle and catch the killer while battling the internal prejudices of her own team and the strain the high-profile case puts on her personal life.
