A paralyzed girl is miraculously healed after sitting under a tree in the woods near her home. Later the same tree yields the body of a young girl killed a long time ago. This leads Dalziel into a web of abuse by the Catholic Church, including the practice of splitting up families and making youngsters slave labour on church farms. In the village Dalziel bumps into his sister, who is trying to find her brother, that Dalziel knew nothing about. And she has news for him that breaks his heart.
