When the body of a foreign student is discovered in the streets of the down-at-heel European city-state of Beszel, it's just another day's work for Inspector Tyador Borlu of the Extreme Crime Squad. But he uncovers evidence that the cuddled girl came from Ul Qoma, a city that shares a dangerous and volatile relationship with Beszel, and this case will challenge everything Borlu holds dear.

The two cities have differing societies, cultures, technologies and language, yet co-exist in the same geographical space. The separation is achieved by the residents of each city "unseeing" the other, while being aware of it, and the separation is enforced by a shadowy organization called Breach. While crossing the border is possible (after a lengthy re-orientation process), those who "breach" the separation illegally are taken by Breach and disappear forever.

The City & The City Series Guide

• View Season 1 Episodes