Spenser is hired to locate April Kyle, the missing daughter of Harry Kyle, millionaire and candidate for Governor. With the assistance of Hawk, Spenser travels from Boston's "Combat Zone" to Providence and the heart of child pornography in search of one seemingly unimportant runaway whom nobody wants found.

When Spenser (Robert Urich), his psychologist girlfriend, Susan Silverman (Barbara Williams), and his right-hand man, Hawk (Avery Brooks), investigate a brutal murder in a quaint New England town, they discover plenty of illegal activity and cocaine. This 1994 made-for-television movie brings many of the beloved characters from the 1980s drama series (based on the books by Robert B. Parker) back to the small screen.

Spenser is hired out by Hugh Dixon to track down the killers of his wife and daughters. He and Hawk are drawn into a huge plot involving assassination attempts on African leader Winston Boyko by some racist terrorist named Paul.

Candy Sloane, a news reporter that Spenser used to date, hires him out as backup while she investigates a credit card fraud ring that might be operating out of a previously-bankrupt movie company

Bested on the best-selling novel by author Robert B. Parker, Joe Mantegna is Spenser - Boston's best-known private eye. Called upon to investigate a case of murder, corruption, and betrayal, the super sleuth finds himself marked for death and on the run from a ruthless international assassin.

Frank Belson didn't ask too many questions about the past of his new wife Lisa St. Claire, even after she suddenly and mysteriously disappeared one night. He brings in Spenser to help locate her, who begins to piece together her complete life story while submerged in the Latino shadow world of the town of Proctor.

Spenser attends a play at his girlfriend's insistence to meet a director who is allegedly being stalked. During the performance, the lead actor in a hale of fake arrows is suddenly killed by a real arrow from a crossbow. This launches Spencer into an investigation of everyone involved with the theatrical company and leads him up against a Chinese mobster, who warns Spencer to quit questioning his wife, one of the theater's patrons. However, everything changes when the mobster is found beaten to death.