Detective Chris Gallagher catches his first case after the murder of his partner Vince. He arrives to find Pete Barnigan, an undercover drug cop, spattered all over the dining room wall. To make matters worse, his new, unannounced partner arrives on the scene. Dave Purvis is an unknown commodity to Gallagher, but makes sure Chris realizes that he is not impressed by rank or reputation as he starts to work the case. As they retrace Pete's moves and talk to his contacts, people associated to Pete also land on the Medical Examiner's table, and his handler is in the wind. As Dave puts the moves on Chris' girlfriend, Chris is haunted by one question as he investigates the case. Is he dealing with a cop killer or a killer cop?