Beth is walking her dog in a secluded wooded area around Manchester, when she's viciously attacked. After fighting the man off, she gets away with her life, but is left with a horrifying secret. As Beth moves on from her trauma with new husband Brady, she seems a happy, successful career girl. But he senses she is harbouring something dark... And when the truth is finally revealed, Brady blackmails Beth into bankruptcy.

Growing up in one of Manchester's roughest council estates Mark (Macca) McNeil's life seems already written for him until joining forces with rough boy Todd Brown to form a gang offers him a way out. He is finally changing his life but then, there is Joanne… She is more than a fling and although they come from the same estate, but she is heading places. She loves his lavish gifts and the life he is promising her, but she doesn't want to see what Macca is capable of.

Georgie Deacon thinks nothing of it when a gang of girls led by Yasmin, a member of the notorious Marx family, knock at her door and threaten to hurt her daughter—that is until her daughter doesn't return home. Detective Clark Kims ignores Georgie's plea to have the gang of girls brought in for questioning. He insists it is the work of the Kent serial killer, until Georgie realizes that the detective's daughter is part of the gang.

Family is everything to Lily Drew, and she's always battled to keep hers together. But following the death of her only daughter, Ruby, and after losing her son, Connor, to a rival firm, Lily feels like everything she's fought so hard to protect is about to fall apart: and when a turf war between two rival gangs starts on the Drew's doorstep, Lily must pick a side…

Jane, Carly and Rose Savage are savage by name, savage by nature. Having lost their mum too young, and with a bedridden father too ill to work, the sisters learnt early to stand on their own two feet. The family's flat in the rough streets of Glasgow's Haghill is their fortress, but when Carly's ex-boyfriend Cole Alexander is released from prison, trouble soon comes knocking at their door. The Alexanders have beef with the Savages, so the girls call for back up in the shape of their uncle Eddie and his two gorgeous but dangerous sons, Harry and Dean.

When Toni’s twelfth birthday is marred by a terrible crime, the wicked path of the girls looks set. A decade later, the McVay family aren't the unstoppable force they once were in the Glaswegian criminal underworld but Frankie McVay, the up-and-coming prince, is determined to restore the family to its former glory and the whole family are expected to help. His sister Toni shares her brother’s blood lust but Valerie dreams of a quieter life, and when she meets and falls in love with Seb, as straight as Frankie is bent, as kind as Frankie is wicked, Val sees her way out.

Macy Taylor was born in the shadow of Tanley Square, at the heart of her Manchester estate. It’s kept her secrets and she’s kept its code of silence. If you need something sorting, or want something you can’t get anywhere else—no questions asked—then you go to the square. But everything in life comes at a price. Brianna Taylor is seventeen—she doesn’t get why Macy wants her to keep clear of the square. If it was good enough for her mum, why can’t she hang out there too? 

Kenny Bond is finally out of prison after doing a long stretch for killing a copper and is determined to get back to life on the straight and narrow. Kenny’s son Donny might lack his father’s edge but his twin grandsons, Beau and Brett - well, they are Bonds through and through. Like him, they won’t let anyone stand in their way.

Before leaving prison, having served 12 years, Harper Kane makes a promise - to find out what happened to an inmate’s missing teenage daughter. But first, she must secure a well-paid job and a place of her own to take back custody of her son. What she falls into is a frightening discovery of human trafficking. Forced to make an inconceivable decision, Harper will use everything she has learned inside to protect her family, even if that means resorting to murder.

After the brutal gangland murder of her husband Terry, Tracey Tempest just wants to move on. She’ll never get over Terry’s betrayal, but she’s determined his shady past won’t spoil life for her and her beloved boys Ricky and Jamie. Max Hardcastle just wants a quiet life and to maybe see how things go between him and Tracey. He knows she’s been hurt in the past, but he’s nothing like Terry and he’ll do anything to keep Tracey happy and safe. But some people have other ideas.

What would you do if your son was sent down? Any parent would want justice – but justice takes many forms. Would you take on his enemies? Run his business, fight his battles? What if you had no choice? In true Karen Woods style, this is an all-action slice of Manchester gangland thriller – showcasing the strong women who fight to keep their families safe even amid the turf wars and underworld feuds that crisscross the back streets of Manchester.

Scarlet Drew isn’t to be messed with. As the daughter of a notorious London gangster, she’s got enough street smarts to take on the world. But when the most important person in Scarlet’s life is murdered in cold blood on the East End streets where she grew up, she can only think of one thing - revenge. Scarlet’s aunt, Lily, is fierce, straight-talking and a force to be reckoned with. As head of the family firm and queen of the London underworld, she welcomes her niece into the business and swears to help her get revenge - after all, family comes first.

Betrayal, family loyalties, secrets: not all gangsters live in the East End. Two families run this part of Manchester: the Johnsons and the Bennetts. With the head of the Johnson family banged up, the Bennetts have made their move. But power comes at a price. Now Charlie Johnson is out of prison and he wants his empire back. But the Bennetts have had a taste of the money and the control. Charlie’s sons want to strike now and destroy their rivals, but Charlie wants to wait. He has a personal score to settle.

Cathy Townsend has it all: a loving husband, two handsome sons and a lifestyle that many people envy. But one violent and bloody night, Cathy's whole world comes crashing down around her. Heartbroken and reeling from the events that took place, Cathy is determined to seek revenge on the people responsible for stealing her perfect life away from her. She knows she’ll need help but doesn’t know who to trust. Because in this new dark and dangerous world, Cathy discovers that friends are enemies and blood isn’t always thicker than water.

Christie Doyle is living the dream: she has a beautiful mansion on the South Downs with an infinity pool and stables, and her husband, Kenny, spoils her rotten. It's her birthday and she is the centre of the most amazing party. And then the bombshell drops. Kenny confesses to an affair and asks for a divorce. Worse is to come when the 'other woman' - Lara, nineteen years old and pregnant with Kenny's child - is found dead. Suspicion falls on Christie and the Doyles' life is ripped apart as the police hunt for evidence.