In the mid-1970s, a serial killer dubbed The Yorkshire Ripper is stalking prostitutes in the north of England. The largest manhunt ever mounted in the UK has so far failed to find the man responsible for the mutilation killings and the pressure is on to find him before he strikes again. Then the killer sends a tape recording to Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield, the officer in change of the investigation, and the arrest of the killer becomes a personal campaign for Oldfield.