故事发生在十九世纪的伦敦，故事中所出现的人物均为著名作家狄更斯笔下的角色。亚瑟（约瑟夫·奎恩 Joseph Quinn）和艾米莉亚（塔彭丝·米德尔顿 Tuppence Middleton 饰）悲痛的埋葬了父亲的遗体，让亚瑟感到震惊的是，父亲竟然没有将一分一毫的遗产留给他，这让他在内心里偷偷买下了复仇的种子。 皮条客费金（安东·莱瑟 Anton Lesser 饰）打算将女孩南希（Bethany Muir 饰）送往雅各布（彼得·弗斯 Peter Firth 饰）所主持的晚宴助兴，为了确保南希的安全，小偷比尔（马克·斯坦利 Mark Stanley 饰）决定全程跟随南希，一步也不离开。就在晚宴即将拉开序幕之际，众人却在雪地之中发现了雅各布的尸体，这一宗谋杀案改变了所有人的命运。
这一季对应原著小说第七部和第八部，主人公乌特雷德尝试夺回贝班堡未果，后又卷入麦西亚君位之争，并再次面对丹麦人入侵。
本剧讲述主角Alex从小在英国长大，他父亲是俄国流亡而来的黑手党，主角一直试图脱离自己那犯罪过去，建立自己的合法事务及与女友一同生活。但当他的家族历史威胁到他们时，Alex被拉回那犯罪世界，并为了保护所爱而对抗起自己的价值观。
Detective Inspector John Rebus is a hard drinking, unkempt, womanizing police officer whose job is his whole life. He is the most senior and most experienced DI at his station. He has a mysterious past that his partner DS Siobhan Clarke learns about from time to time through various comments Rebus makes. She is a young woman who wants to succeed, but does not have much of a personal life. She feels being paired with Rebus jeopardizes her career because of his unorthodox methods, but she is also fascinated by the man and is extremely loyal. DI Rebus' boss is Chief Superintendent Templar, a woman who was one of Rebus' lovers in a distant past. Their relationship is now one where they barely tolerate each other.
爱也罢，恨也罢，政府在我们的生活中扮演着十分重要的角色。亚当·康诺弗探讨了它的成与败，以及我们如何能够改变它。
