Los Angeles, 1953. In the café “Night Owl,” six people are shot dead cold-bloodedly by unknown assailants. Three police officers investigate: a young ambitious Ed Exley who wants to live up to the glory of his famous father; a ruthless avenger Bud White, who as a child witnessed the murder of his own mother; and a consultant for popular TV serials, Jack Vincennes, who supplies information to scandal magazines. All three are absolutely unlike one another, but they share one thing: each of them has dangerous secrets they carefully guard. Keeping their secrets and finding the killers is incredibly difficult—because all three are participants in a game without rules and without winners…