Coma

Mild-mannered family man Simon Henderson is at breaking point, juggling his mortgage, redundancy and the gang of youths terrorising his street.

One night, troublemaking teen Jordan brings danger to his doorstep. Simon finally confronts the 17-year-old youth, but when Jordan continues to provoke him, Simon snaps and swings a wild punch. The young man falls back, banging his head on the curb. Panic sets in when Simon realises Jordan's not breathing…

Simon is no murderer, and immediately starts CPR. The police arrive to find Simon desperately trying to keep the young man alive, and they presume he's an innocent bystander. Simon plays along, explaining that he found the lad unconscious in the street and has no idea how he came to be here. With no witnesses to say otherwise, the police believe him. After all, Simon is a middle-class businessman with no previous offences and the young lad, Jordan Franklin, is well known as a gang member. When DS Kelly Evans questions Simon at the scene, he begins to spin a deeper, darker web of lies.

Earlier that day, Simon installed a ring doorbell in an attempt to protect his family from the local gang of youths. Naively, he goes to the hospital to check on Jordan. DS Evans is surprised to see Simon there, but he quickly covers, explaining that he's collecting his wife, Beth, a nurse at Haverbridge Infirmary. What DS Evans doesn't know is that Beth is not on shift.

Simon's heart sinks when Jordan's parents, Paul and Anna arrive, demanding news about their son. Paul is a threatening figure, not someone you would want to mess with, let alone Simon. Things worsen when Paul turns out to be a local career criminal and takes an interest in Simon. Meanwhile, Simon is hailed a local hero. But there was someone else watching that night…

Jordan Franklin remains in a coma. Meanwhile Simon is hailed a local hero and has no choice but to keep up the lie, however uncomfortable it makes him feel. And as with all lies, the tangled web starts to unravel.

DS Evans begins her investigation into the assault, while Simon's wife, Beth, notices a change in his behaviour and starts to develop her own suspicions.

Then there's the next-door neighbour, Harry - an old reclusive man who hardly says two words to anyone. Unknown to Simon – or indeed to anyone – Harry is the sole witness to the attack. Simon's last hope is Harry's possible dementia. Does Harry even know what he saw? This is put to the test when Simon is forced to chaperone Harry's interview with DS Evans.

Jordan's father, Paul Franklin, a career criminal with a history of extreme violence, doesn't trust the police to find the culprit and begins his own investigation. He enlists Simon's help, organising a vigil in the search for the truth. After all, Simon is the man he believes saved his son's life.

Later that night, Paul pays Simon a visit, sure he has found a way to get into his CCTV. But Beth kicks Paul out.

The following day, a terrified Simon ventures to the hospital to give his login details to Paul…

Simon is frantic with fear and takes matters into his own hands to get his family to safety. He threatens his old boss Jimmy: fast-track his redundancy payment or Simon will reveal that Jimmy made him redundant for a personal vendetta.

DS Evans follows up a call Simon made the night before the attack, reporting a threatening local youth. Simon insists he was mistaken, but this only makes Evans more suspicious – the holes in his story are mounting.

Simon is forced to have dinner with Paul, but it's clear the ever-increasing pressure is taking a toll. Simon blames his twitchiness on his ex-boss Jimmy making his life hell.

The next morning, Simon's redundancy pay is immediately sanctioned. Unknown to Simon, Paul enacted revenge on Jimmy, with the help of sidekick Uncle Mark. Whatever move he makes, Simon seems to end up further entangled in the Franklin family's dangerous web of crime.

DS Evans discovers CCTV footage of Simon challenging Jordan, who was bullying a homeless man outside a local shop. This was days before the attack, so why did Simon deny ever meeting Jordan before?

Time is running out for Simon and Beth as their lies finally catch up with them. They try to figure out their next steps. Is it time to finally give up and go to the police station? Or to run?

DS Kelly Evans starts to piece the puzzle together. She sets out on a race to find Simon, aware she's not the only one.

Simon and Beth hide out at a hotel when their daughter Sophie has an asthma attack. Their safety is put in jeopardy again when they can't find Sophie's inhaler. Simon is forced to go back to the house to save Sophie's life, but trouble awaits.

And while Simon hides in the house, Paul finds out where Beth is hiding and pays the hotel a visit…