The story centres on Polly, played by Lancashire, the wife of the local politician who championed the project. Their rebellious daughter, Leona, had led a group of friends who broke onto the site on the day of the explosion, but now is left with a lifelong disability after the disaster.
As communal grief gives way to a torrent of anger and blame, the community finds itself torn apart. Unwilling to accept that their children were to blame, the families cry for justice.
It falls to Polly to hold the community together, and to face the challenging truths that begin to emerge.
"The Silence" merges the thriller genre with a family drama. When DCI Jim Edwards takes on the homicide investigation of a murdered policewoman, he has no idea how it is going to impact on his relationship with his family.