Private detective Mike Steel establishes his fledgling agency in Santa Chris, California, hoping to build a reputation in the competitive world of private investigation. When an elderly couple approaches him with a seemingly straightforward request to locate their granddaughter's remains, Steel accepts what appears to be a routine missing persons case. What begins as a favor for grieving relatives quickly unravels into a far more intricate mystery than the detective initially bargained for, drawing him deeper into a web of secrets and complications.