"It is not the event itself that creates trauma, but the repression and forgetting that follow."
"Things are never quite what they seem on the surface."

Wu Cheng relocates to Tamsui, drawn by the call of the river. Every day, he hangs out at DV8, a local bar—for no other reason than the owner, Emma, being absolute eye candy. The rogue finally drops anchor, places an ad on Facebook, and sure enough, a client appears. What looks like a simple missing persons case unexpectedly ties back to a twenty-year-old serial murder cold case.

Wu Cheng joins forces with his drinking buddies from DV8 and a band of passionate middle-aged guys to form an unlikely detective squad: Hu She, the bickering detective agency boss; Xu-sang, a witty and cheerful local tour volunteer from Sanchong; Old Zhuang, an action-oriented retired cop; and Ah-Ji, the seasoned veteran officer who led the original murder investigation back in the day. Together, they launch a painstaking, multi-front investigation spanning Tamsui, Sanchong, Xinzhuang, and Luzhou. Tailing targets, setting traps, cornering suspects, and throwing down threats—they blend high-tech tricks with old-school street smarts. Time is on their side (they've got plenty of it), and quitting is off the table (even panic attacks serve as divine inspiration). Drinking tea and booze is just a front—these guys are playing for keeps! (And the love? That’s genuine, too.)

Human fear and trauma are all linked to a deep, subterranean river of the subconscious. Finding that river is the key to cracking the case.