The protagonist of the series "Secret City" is Harriet Dunkley, a political correspondent from Australia. She investigates a socio-political conflict between the American and Chinese governments when a mutilated body of an unknown man is unexpectedly washed ashore in Canberra. Harriet notices that there is a mysterious connection between this gruesome crime and her investigation. A delicate thread of evidence leads her to a secret "city within a city," where the real world leaders are hiding.