Set in Edinburgh, the series contrasts the high powered and respectable world of the lawyers and advocates of the Scottish legal profession, with the sleazy and deadly existence of the city's pimps, prostitutes and drug addicts. When a young prostitute is murdered by a deadly drug overdose, only Doctor Joe Sangster, who has been treating her at the local health clinic, suspects foul play. In the growing climate of fear over drugs and AIDS in the city, his clinic faces closure due to a local campaign. He turns to Greg McDowell for help, and the young lawyer sees the chance to make a name for himself.