On what is supposed to be her last day at work, detective Sarah Linden is called to the scene of a violent crime after a blood-covered woman's sweater is found in a park. There is no body however. The police have also found an ATM card in the name of Stan Larsen. Sarah and her replacement, Stephen Holder, follow-up and when they learn that the Larsen's 17 year-old daughter Rosie did not spend the weekend at a friend's house and has not been seen since Friday night, they suspect the worst. While Rosie's parents Mitch and Stan try to locate her on their own, the police concentrate on searching the park where they eventually discover a car at the bottom of a small lake with the body of a young woman in the trunk. They also learn that the car is registered to the election campaign of city councilman Darren Richmond who is running for mayor. Written by garykmcd

With Rosie's body now identified, Det. Sarah Linden and Det. Stephen Holder begin the painstaking task of recreating her movements, learning about her circle of friends and tracing her movements after she left the Halloween dance at her high school on Friday night. They question Councilman Darren Richmond who says he has no knowledge as to why Rosie would have been in the trunk of a car registered to his mayoralty campaign. He refuses to play politics with the situation. Linden interviews Jasper Ames whose father interrupts the questioning. At Rosie's school, Holder learns about the cage, a place in the school basement where the kids go for privacy. It may also be the crime scene. The Larsons tell their two boys that their sister is dead. Written by garykmcd

While the crime scene unit collects evidence in the school basement, Richmond's campaign faces a crisis when news of Rosie's death leaks to the press. He's also found the leaker. He's also scrambling to save his campaign. Linden and holder want to question the school janitor, Lyndon Rosales, who would prefer to jump out a third story window than meet them. He has a pretty good alibi as far as Rosie's death is concerned but he does give hem a new lead, a student named Kris Echols. Mitch Larsen finds herself unable to cope with their loss. Written by garykmcd

With the video from Rosie's phone, Linden and Holder think they have the killers. It's not that simple however and they soon find themselves back to square one. Linden re-interviews Rosie's BFF, Sterling, and learn that Rosie used to regularly take a bus to a distant part of town. Mayoralty candidate Darren Richmond's campaign is rapidly going downhill and his staff propose a major ad campaign. The only problem is that the campaign needs a infusion of cash. Rosie's parents prepare for her funeral and visit a funeral home to select a casket and go to the church to arrange for the service. Linden decides to again search Rosie's bedroom and finds handwritten notes notes from an interesting source. Written by garykmcd

Having found Rosie's hidden letter, Linden and Holder interview her teacher Bennet Ahmed. He denies having anything to do with her death but provides them with new information, a super 8 film she made. They learn something interesting about Ahmed's wife, Amber. On the campaign trail, Richmond's ads are having the desired effect but he still trails the incumbent mayor. At Gwen's urging, he approaches Mitch Larsen but can't quite bring himself to use her. He's still trying to find the mole in his campaign. Stan and Mitch find that friends and customers alike are avoiding them. A frustrated Stan decides to get his on information on what may have been going on at Rosie's school. Written by garykmcd

Having found ammonium hydroxide in Bennet Ahmed's apartment as well as on Rosie's clothes and body, Linden is now certain that she was at his apartment on the Friday night she disappeared. Interviews with Ahmed's neighbors give them eye witnesses stating they saw Rosie enter his place. Darren Richmond has more problems when he learns that Ahmed, an active member of his main community project and someone who has even appeared on his campaign commercials, is the main suspect. A debate with the mayor on live TV does not go well. For the Larsens, it's the day of Rosie's funeral. Stan is told who the main suspect is and he takes Ahmed for a ride. Written by garykmcd

After Rosie's wake, Stan take Bennet Ahmed for a ride, intent on taking his revenge. Linden's relationship with her fiancé faces a crisis as she and her son Jack miss their flight. Linden re-interviews Amber Ahmed who reveals that she was not entirely truthful as to her whereabouts on the night Rosie disappeared. Along with Holder, Linden visits a local mosque to see if they can get a lead on Bennet's friend Mohammed. Someone slips them an address which leads them to an interesting encounter. On the campaign trail, Darren Richmond is pre-occupied with an upcoming parole hearing for the drunk driver who killed his wife. He refuses to ask Ahmet to resign from his main community project and pays a heavy price at a City council meeting. Written by garykmcd

Having possibly ruined a long-term terrorist investigation, Linden and Holder face the prospect of having their case shut down completely. The Feds aren't cooperating so Linden takes matters into her own hands, confirming that a key piece of evidence, Rosie's sweater, is at the scene. Shut out of the case as a result, it's left to Holder to suggest a solution on how they might go forward. Darren Richmond meanwhile attends the parole hearing for the drunk driver who killed his wife. He decides to release the information they've obtained on the Mayor's extra-curricular activities. Linden's personal life is in a shambles. Her fiancé is refusing to return her calls and her son Jack is lashing out at what he sees as his mother's lack of interest in him. Mitch and Stan Larsen's relationship begins to deteriorate after they begin to blame each other for happened to Rosie. Written by garykmcd

Having obtained the evidence from the illegal wiretap to arrest Bennet Ahmed, Sarah Linden heads to his apartment while Holder goes to get his friend, Judge Russell Elliot, to get a backdated warrant. Linden makes the error of telling Mitch Larsen that the arrest is about to occur. When it falls through and Mitch sees Ahmed at school the next day, she chastises Stan for allowing their daughter's murderer to walk the streets. Stan decides to take matters into his own hands. Linden and Holder meanwhile locate Ahmed's friend Muhammed Hamid and realize they've made a major error. On the campaign trail, the Mayor plays hardball and publicly denies having had a sexual relationship with one of his aides. Written by garykmcd

With the new evidence they have on Rosie's movements on the Friday she disappeared, Linden and Holder are back to square one as far as the investigation is concerned. They believe they know the name of the person she may have set out to meet but have no idea who that person may be or where they might have met. Rosie's key chain provides them with a clue. With Bennet Ahmed in critical condition in hospital, Stan Larsen turns himself into the police when he realizes Ahmed is innocent. Mitch tries to keep the business together but is shocked by a phone call she receives from from their bank. On the campaign trail, Darren Richmond decides to take on the Mayor with renewed vigor and also challenge in court the city council's decision to slash funding for his key social program. Written by garykmcd

Det. Linden makes the connection and finds Rosie's late night rendezvous. It leads her to a Native American-run casino bearing the same logo as on Rosie's key chain. The casino manager is less than cooperative, especially when Linden threatens to get a warrant. Being Indian land however means she will need a Federal warrant which could take week to get approved. She comes up with another idea which will only require a local warrant, available in less than 24 hours. Linden is sidetracked however when she gets a call from her son Jack's school saying he hasn't been there for three days. She and Holder travel across the city to see if they can find him. Written by garykmcd

With evidence that Rosie used the ATM machines at the casino, Linden and Holder learn that she was making regular deposits to an account. While there is little doubt the account was Rosie's, she actually opened it in the name of a relative. Rosie's computer reveals she may have been working as an escort and another girl at the agency had warned them all about a kinky customer who goes by the name of Orpheus - someone who has a fascination with drowning. Meanwhile, Mitch is still upset that all of their savings have disappeared. Someone else has to bail Stan out of jail. Written by garykmcd

Having identified Orpheus, Detectives Linden and Holder now have to get solid evidence in order to make an arrest. A re-examination of the car reveals an anomaly in the mileage leading the detectives to try and trace the killer's route. It leads them to a site near where Rosie was found. When they get evidence the killer was in the area in the early morning hours on the day of Rosie's death, they make an arrest. All is not as it seems however. Written by garykmcd