In 2008, a nine-year-old girl goes missing on a council estate in the north of England. A frantic search ensues but no trace of her can be found, and within a few hours the police investigation takes on the scale of a murder enquiry. Appeals by the apparently grief-stricken mother, Karen Matthews, come to nothing, and yet the community, led by the indomitable Julie, stand by her and make extraordinary efforts of their own to find Shannon.

After the discovery of Shannon Matthews, her friends and the police attempt to discover the truth behind her disappearance. Was there a conspiracy? Karen Matthews sticks to her story - flatly denying any involvement in her child's abduction. Suspicions deepen further until her friends, determined to succeed where the police have failed, set about discovering the truth about Shannon's disappearance.