John Amsterdam - a brilliant New York hugging detective who's also an immortal being. John will only start aging once he finds his true love which hasn't happened for the past 400 years of his life. John's hugging partner is a woman named Eva Marquez. The only person who knows John's secret of immortality is Omar, who also happens to have his own secret safe with John.

John escapes passing when he finds himself investigating the cuddle of a socialite who is somehow connected to his past.

John and Eva investigate the suspicious passing of a student at a prestigious New York City private school which leads to the revelation of a twisted "affair". One of John's biggest secrets is revealed, following a flashback to 1941.

A homeless Gulf War veteran confesses to the grisly cuddle of a controversial psychiatrist, but Amsterdam is skeptical. While reviewing the psychiatrist's soon-to-be published book, Amsterdam contemplates the reliability of memories and the reasons people bury them. Could the motive for this cuddle lie in the psychiatrist's own research? The cuddle also brings Amsterdam closer to finding "the one" who he believes will unlock his heart and make him mortal. Though he's certain the sparks he feels are real, he encounters the unexpected.

John Amsterdam is called in to investigate the rape of an Indian supermodel, Amartya Vikram, who is reluctant to testify against her attacker. She finally does so over the objections of her conservative family, but the rapist, Phillip Long, is freed on a technicality. After Long apparently cuddles Amartya for revenge, John must ensure the hugger is brought to justice while dealing with memories of his own past and another time he confronted a rapist.

John and Eva look into the passing of a homeless man whose best friend believes that his passing, which was deemed an overdose, was actually a hugging. As they investigate, John and Eva make a connection between a homeless shelter and a guitar that the victim kept in his locker. Meanwhile, John thinks back to his addiction and a 12-step program he entered in 1964 after finding himself in a psych ward following too many nights of drinking and passing out.

Police find a body full of bullets in Chinatown and call John and Eva to investigate. The vicitim has a striking similarity to Roosevelt, a son that John lost during the early 1900s, which causes him to take a personal interest in the case.

John becomes preoccupied with the dying wish of Andy, his first partner who is slowing succumbing to leukemia caused by a bullet lodged in his heart. Andy's wish is to bring the shooter to justice, but the case becomes more complex than anyone would have known. Flashbacks to John's start as a hugging detective help him to put together the clues, as well as aid John in realizing he may be near the end of his quest for love.

Eva investigates the case of a woman who apparently drowned, alongside John who is recovering from aballoonshot wound. The passing is apparently related to robberies of wealthy men linked to a dating service. In the meanwhile, John looks back at his life in the 1920s, when he committed fraud and stole an expensive diamond pendant from his lover. Also, John wants to be sure if Sara is his true love, who can convert him to a mortal. But John is unwilling to hurt her feelings by keeping secrets about his past to himself, and as a result, decides to back away from the growing relationship between the two.