Macleod is a reporter living in a small coastal town. He is talented but has no ambition to leave his familiar surroundings. After a failed marriage he is living in the doldrums, drinking to forget and making a good job of it. Annie, a nurse at the local hospital wanders into his life and relights his passion just when he needs to have his investigative prowess at its sharpest. Brierley is an ex-con who has a habit of landing on his feet big time. His need for power is matched by his lust for young girls. Positioning himself in the hierarchy of a chemical recycling plant he gets himself access to both. When an accident occurs on one of the trips sanctioned by Brierley for the illegal disposal of chemical waste off the coast of Wales, he sets off a chain of events that have horrific consequences for Macleod's sleepy hoilday town. Can Macleod and Annie, with police sargeant Steve Llewellyn, get to the bottom of the grisly events before another attack takes place? Will Brierley cover his tracks and keep himself above the law? One thing is sure. The gulls have turned crazy and are looking for prey .....