The original drama series centers on John River (Skarsgard), a brilliant police officer whose genius and fault line is the fragility of his mind - a man haunted by the murder victims whose cases he must lay to rest.
Detective Inspector John River is haunted by visions of his recently murdered colleague, Detective Sergeant Jackie 'Stevie' Stevenson. He continues in his attempts to find her killer although excluded from the case on the grounds of his proximity to the events surrounding it. River is told that he must undergo psychiatric evaluation, and his commanding officer makes it clear that he expects him to fail it.
Meanwhile, River pursues a potential suspect who falls to his death and he is subsequently placed under increasing pressure from the media. Simultaneously, he faces demands from the mother of a missing teenager to find her daughter's body.
