In 1896 New York City, young boy prostitutes dress up as little girls in order to please their male clients. When a number of these young boys are turning up dead at the hands of a sadistic serial killer, police commissioner Teddy Roosevelt (
Brian Geraghty) assigns Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (
Daniel Brühl), a brilliant criminal psychologist, to work on the investigation.
Kreizler is assisted by his old friend,
New York Times illustrator
John Moore (
Luke Evans), and strong-willed police secretary Sara Howard (
Dakota Fanning), the first woman ever employed by the NYPD.
Based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Caleb Carr.