The series follows Inspector Sakari Koskinen and his team in the Violent Crimes Unit as they try to solve murders in the Finnish lakeside city of Tampere. The Violent Crimes Unit is exceedingly busy, understaffed and doesn't have enough resources. The ragtag team includes a chronically tired mother of three, a self-proclaimed ladies' man and a football enthusiast. During the first season Koskinen and his team face a serial killer, a murder spree in the tramway control centre, a jewellery robbery gone wrong, a series of murders in a nursing home and drug gang related arson and homicides. As Koskinen faces violent and grisly crimes, he also has to struggle against inner demons to keep his own life in balance.