Four decades after the disappearance of pretty, popular teen Annalise Wood on her way home from school galvanized the village of Lilling, England, and 16 years since the discovery of remains presumed to be hers, the never-solved case suddenly heats up. Det. Chief Insp. Morris Keene, now assigned to the cold case squad, is eager to tackle the area’s marquee mystery, though he still suffers panic attacks after a violent confrontation with a suspect. Since Morris’s former partner, Det. Insp. Chloe Frohmann, is on maternity leave, her role is limited. Meanwhile, Cambridge University counseling service therapist Laurie Ambrose encounters two new patients, each claiming connections to Annalise. Within days one of them turns up dead.