When a young student mysteriously disappears from a New York bar, Detective Darlene O'Hara takes on the case - and unravels a dark story of murder and deception. Francesca Pena is an unlikely success story. Running from a troubled past, she's come to New York to reinvent herself, earning a scholarship to NYU. Her natural beauty and effervescent presence make her the envy of her more privileged friends, but none of them knows the real Francesca. Following a night of heavy drinking with three of her closest friends, she's reported missing. Detective Darlene O'Hara from New York's 7th Precinct and her partner Serge Karamanoukian ('K') investigate. A week later, Francesca's body is discovered severely mangled in a toilet by the East River. O'Hara and K's investigation quickly becomes a high-profile hunt that the Homicide Unit are quick to snatch away. Frustrated by their slow progress, O'Hara and K continue their own investigation in the city's seedy underbelly, where strip clubs, lecherous pimps and prostitution reign supreme. Just when the Homicide Unit think they have the real killer in their sights, O'Hara and K reveal their own findings-with not a minute to spare.