The empathetic and astute Chief Inspector Gamache is tasked with solving a number of mysterious and perplexing murders in the strange but beguiling village of Three Pines. Assisted by his trusted team; the combative and troubled Sargent Jean-Guy Beauvoir, the intelligent Indigenous working mother Sargent Isabelle Lacoste, and the accident-prone rookie Agent Yvette Nichol, the group are initially treated suspiciously by the village's residents. Despite the cool welcome, Gamache can't help but find himself oddly drawn to this unusual place and its eccentric residents, including the owners of the Bistro, Gabri and Olivier, artists Peter and Clara, psychologist turned bookshop owner Myrna, gallery owner Bea, and the irascible poet Ruth. The deeper Gamache delves into the secret lives of these people who have found sanctuary from the outside world in Three Pines, the more it affects him. The series also interweaves a dark, mysterious, serial-story, which uncovers police failings to properly investigate cases of missing Indigenous women, as well as corruption at the heart of the provincial Sûreté du Québec police force.