Jesse Stone is a former L.A. homicide detective who left behind the large city and also an ex-wife to eventually become the police chief of the quiet New England fishing town of Paradise. Stone's old habits die hard as he proceeds to indulge his favorite things--ladies and scotch. After a series of murders takes place and also a senior high school girl is raped, in order to address the crimes he's forced to face his own demons. And, since those are the first murders Jesse has to train his inexperienced staff of police officers to assist in the search to find the offenders and also the rapist before they could attack.