Dalziel and Pascoe

Driving through the ancient Angel Woods one night, Sue Blackstone knocks down a stranger. When she returns to the scene with the police, the man has disappeared. Instead, there's another body - a young priest who's been murdered. Angel Woods is the site of the Angel Oak, a tree associated with miracles. Only recently Sue Blackstone's young daughter, Bryony, who'd been crippled in a riding accident, was suposedly miraculously 'healed' by the tree.

Dalziel and Pascoe are called in to investigate. They learn that the dead priest, Father Simpson, was sent to promote the miracle in the nearby village of Hanleydale. An older priest, Fr Tibbings, tells the detectives that Simpson had clashed with local scientist, Stephen Weston.

Dalziel notices a close bond between Tibbings and the gamekeeper, Jamie Blackstone. Stephen Weston denies murder. But he admits Simpson had opposed his plan to gather DNA from local families in an attempt to find a genetic explanation of the area's many 'miracle' cures.

A skeleton is unearthed in the woods, a little girl, murdered some 40 years ago. Tibbings used to run a childrens' home nearby - does he know something? There's a suspicion that sexual abuse may be involved. Dalziel is surprised to meet his sister, Harriet, visiting the local church. Harriet reveals she has terminal cancer. That night, Weston dies in an arson attack at his lab.

But Dalziel finds a photo of her as a child, with another boy, 'Ian'. Later, he confronts her and is shocked to learn that Harriet and he are only half-related - she and 'Ian' had a different father. Ian disappeared from care - possibly to Australia. Harriet would like news of him before she dies.

Another casualty is found - local police officer John Shepherd, victim of an assault. But the missing 'accident' victim has been found. He's an Australian, Terry Blake, who tells Dalziel and Pascoe of his past at the children's home with Tibbings and his colleague, Fr Creeley. He'd been sent to Australia in the 1960s along with many others, as part of a programme of enforced child labour. Terry suffered, but his sister, Kitty, was 'saved' from the programme by Tibbings.

The skeleton in the woods is Kitty. Terry doesn't know what happened, but he does suggest how Dalziel might trace Harriet's brother, possibly a victim of the same migrant scheme. Dalziel and Pascoe head back to Hanleydale, where Sue Blackstone has reported that Jamie has run off with his gun, in some distress.

Dalziel and Pascoe find Jamie at the Angel Oak. Distraught, Jamie confesses that he murdered Father Creeley, as a child. He'd tried to protect little Kitty from sexual abuse by Creeley. He was too late to prevent Creeley from killing Kitty, but had murdered the priest in despair. His friend John Shepherd, also at the home, helped cover it up, and they in turn were helped by Tibbings. Jamie assaulted Shepherd in a desperate attempt to prevent his friend from confessing their past.

Before Dalziel and Pascoe can stop him, Jamie shoots himself. Dalziel learns the rest of the truth from Tibbings, who claims he'd tried to save some children from the migrant scheme by finding homes for them under false names. When he discovered the death of Creeley, he set fire to the home, buried Kitty's body, and smuggled Jamie and John Shepherd into local homes under false names. By collecting DNA samples, Weston's research would have threatened the secrets of those families who'd participated.

Jamie became scared that this would expose his past. He set fire to the lab when he discovered that his wife, Sue, was blackmailed into co-operating with Weston. Dalziel receives an urgent call - Harriet is close to death. Dalziel arrives with news of Ian. He's alive and well in Australia. A dying Harriet thanks him. But the nurse informs Pascoe that Harriet died twenty minutes ago.