Detective inspector mike shepherd arrives in brokenwood on assignment to investigate a murder. In a town where animosities run deep and memories are long, he soon learns that gossip is the local currency. An experienced officer with a 1971 classic car, a collection of country music cassettes and an indeterminate number of exwives, the new woman in shepherd's life is his assistant, detective kristin sims, a by the book investigator, who quickly has to get used to his unique and quirky ways. Relishing the leisurely pace of country life, shepherd decides to make brokenwood his home, and earns himself a reputation for solving the most complex of mysteries, with the occasional bending of rules. Filmed amid the beautiful landscape of new zealand's north island, these five complete series show that life in a small, picturesque town can be as deadly as some of the most uninhabitable places on earth.