Stone Lewis is just out of jail and looking for a fresh start. With new tattoos on his face - they held him down in the nick and did them for him - he looks scary enough for people to give him a wide berth. But that doesn't stop a battered Asian girl he finds in the doorway of his basement flat asking for his help. Ginny has come to Hull from California, looking for her best friend after her letters suddenly stopped. She's beautiful, she's a very long way from home, and Stone agrees to help.