On April 30th a businessman James Martin is murdered with a chainsaw under suspicious curcumstances and Taggart, Jardine and Reid are assigned to investigate. DS Reid goes undercover to investigate the prime suspect.

Taggart is promoted to Acting Superintendent after Jack McVitie takes a heart attack. When two young girls are murdered Taggart starts to wonder whether Jardine and Reid are up to the job. A Polish woman is later found murdered.

Tony Sabina is in town again, "The Great Sabina" to his fans. His hypnotic show relies on volunteers, among who is a young man called Stuart Fraser, and a girl called Frances Shaw. Frances who is hypnotized to believe that she could swim the channel is found drowned after the show. The resulting publicity leaves Sabins career in tatters and he decides to get even with all those who contribute to his downfall. Jardine and Reid investigate a series of killings that may have been carried out "to order".