In 1974, DS Barry Harrigan (Stephen Tompkinson), a no-nonsense copper driven by grief after his wife and daughter's sudden death, returns to Newcastle to take on a local gang leader, Dunstan (Craig Conway), who was responsible for the tragedy. Harrigan makes it his mission to clean up the notorious Monkshire estate by reopening the former police section house. With Vickey Frizell (Amy Manson) and her children in danger, Harrigan becomes embroiled in a desperate bid to save what community life exists amidst fear and desperation.