연쇄 살인 사건의 계속된 검거 실패 끝에 경찰청은 가짜 범인인 ‘배우’를 만들어 사건을 종결 짓기로 한다. 승진을 보장해주겠다는 조건을 듣고 사건을 맡게 된 것은 광역수사대 에이스 최철기. 그는 스폰서인 장석구를 이용해 ‘배우’를 내세운 대국민 이벤트를 완벽히 마무리한다. 한편, 검사 주양은 최철기가 입찰 비리건으로 자신의 스폰서 김회장을 구속시켰다는 사실에 분개해 최철기의 뒷조사를 시작한다. 주양은 최철기와 장석구 사이에 거래가 있었음을 알게 되고, 최철기에게 또 다른 거래를 제안한다.
A serial killer targeting elementary school students is on the loose. When the most probable suspect dies in custody and the case looks like it’s reached a dead end, high ranking police brass decide to create a killer – and anyone will do. Though Detective Choi Cheol-gi boasts an incredible number of arrests over his career, his rank never showed it. He decides that this is his last chance at professional redemption. He makes a deal with mob boss Jang Seok-gu, who he has been investigating, and together they decide to set up one of the existing suspects as the serial killer. The only hurdle in their plan is public prosecutor Joo Yang, who takes on the case. Joo himself had been involved in a deal with the boss of a rival criminal organization. When the secret deals and back alley agreements start to come to light, it only serves to drag Choi, Joo, Jang, and Kim deeper and deeper into a dark hole of questionable ethics and abuse of the law.