Since he screwed up a big case by losing evidence, young detective Lewis Hornby is in charge of Scotland Yard’s endless paperwork. When the officer on-duty of the faraway village of Brightvale dies, Lewis gets ‘promoted’ to oversee the little place.
In Brightvale, the people have created an Utopia, and there has been no crime for nearly 100 years. They are preparing a big celebration, even with an expected royal visit. On the day the villagers say farewell to their old officer, one of its prominent members, Harlow Bannister, is stabbed to death on the village square.
Oliver Jones, a young police officer in training to be a detective, is in the village when the murder happens, and is given the dreadful task to stay and make sure Hornby doesn’t make another mess. While the village rocks on its foundations, the two men try to find a seemingly invisible murderer, who appears to be hiding in plain sight. As time presses on, Brightvale’s history starts to catch on, and the Utopian facade slowly crumbles away, revealing some horrible truths.