本片根据英国作家狄更斯1838年的名著《雾都孤儿》改编。
孤儿奥利弗(巴尼•克拉克 Barney Clark 饰)由教会抚养长大,9岁时被送去童工厂拣填絮,后被卖给棺材铺当学徒,屡受欺侮。奥利弗从棺材铺逃跑,步行七十英里到达伦敦,遇见小偷“机灵鬼”(哈利•伊登 Harry Eden 饰),并被收入犹太老头费金(本•金斯利 Ben Kinsley 饰)的盗窃团伙。奥利弗第一次出徒便被诬陷偷窃布朗罗先生(爱德华•哈德威克 Edward Hardwicke饰)的丝帕,并被打昏在地。被好心的布朗罗先生带回家收养,却在替布朗罗先生跑差途中被费金的同僚比尔(杰米•福尔曼 Jamie Foreman饰)抓获。比尔逼迫奥利弗协助他与同伙托比(马克•斯特朗 Mark Strong 饰)入夜行窃布朗罗先生家。小奥利弗不从,眼看命在旦夕……
Based on the Edgar Award-winning, nine-book “Karl Alberg” series by the late Canadian author L.R. Wright, Murder in a Small Town follows Karl Alberg (Sutherland), who moves to a quiet coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work. But this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets, and Karl will need to call upon all the skills that made him a world-class detective in solving the murders that, even in this seemingly idyllic setting, continue to wash up on his shore. Kreuk stars as Cassandra, a local librarian who becomes Alberg’s muse, foil and romantic interest.