The biggest action-thriller drama series from Canada since Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Missing follows a troubled young architecture student Michael, who disappears mysteriously while vacationing in Italy. Michael's mother Becca, a retired CIA agent, travels to Rome to track Michael down, but finds herself in the middle of an international conspiracy involving the CIA and her late husband who is discovered to be alive. While Becca teams up with a few intelligence agents to find Michael, Michael himself has met a Russian girl Oksana, and the two team up to escape.
CIA agent Paul Winstone (Sean Bean) is seemingly murdered in a car bombing in Europe. Ten years later, his 18-year-old son, Michael Winstone, goes to Europe for an architecture program. When Michael doesn't call home in over a week, his mother, Rebecca 'Becca' Winstone, goes to Europe to look for him. After she kills one foreign spy who makes an attempt on her life, the CIA becomes alert to her activities. Recognizing an Italian street in one of her son's cellphone photos, she breaks into a jewelry store, to view the store's video surveillance records of that street. Her old spy sources trace the tag number of a truck in the security footage, to a warehouse in France. The CIA intercepts her on the train to France. She is questioned by CIA bureau chief Dax Miller. When Dax relays his find to CIA headquarters at Langley, they order him to send Becca back to the United States. However, he gives her three hours to uncover information. She breaks into the French warehouse and finds photos which reveal that her son has been tracked for years by an unknown conspiracy. She finds evidence that Michael was there. After Becca fights an armed guard, she makes an telephone transmission to Agent Dax Miller; A CIA team is dispatched to the warehouse. They find a note from Becca, which reads: "He was here." The episode ends with Becca in a river, the water cloudy with her blood.
Becca survives with the help of a former French intelligence agent, who says she can not assist her more as all European intelligence are on the lookout for Rebecca. Rebecca points guns at some French policemen, ordering her own arrest, in order to be taken to Antoine Lussier (Joaquim de Almeida) the deputy chief of French Intelligence. A mysterious hard disk is mentioned which contains proof of corruption charges against Lussier. Becca makes a deal that if French intelligence can find Michael, she will surrender the hard drive, which is actually the nickname for a man (Lothaire Bluteau), who worked for Lussier 12 years earlier and has autobiographical memory. After nearly falling into a trap to capture them both, Becca and Harddrive hack into Lussier's computer which reveals that Lussier authorized an emergency flight which is about to leave in 20 minutes. Rebecca leaves the office to find Michael before his kidnappers can take him out of France, as Harddrive uploads all files from Lussier's computer to the internet, exposing his corruption. Rebecca reaches the airport just in time to see Michael but his kidnappers force him onto the plane before Becca can catch them.
CIA agents raid the airplane; Michael is not on the plane. Now in a new location, Michael determines from the architecture of his place of captivity that he is somewhere in Russia. A young girl, named Oksana (Tereza Voříšková), tends to Michael's needs, and works to gain his trust. A woman named Sloane (Victoria Smurfit) who was on the airplane that took Michael out of France, is tracked to a charity auction of a yacht in Ravello, Italy. Italian Interpol agent Rossi helps Becca ditch CIA agent Miller, but then Becca suddenly gets an inconvenient visit in Ravello, from her best-friend Mary. Becca evades Sloane's henchmen, and sneaks aboard the yacht. Rebecca picks a lock on a wood box, and finds a bag of diamonds. On the docks, Rebecca phones Sloane, demanding an immediate meeting on the bay, in one hour. Sloane kidnaps Mary, as leverage against Becca, but Mary escapes from Sloane's speedboat. Sloane reluctantly puts down her gun, as Becca threatens to drop the diamonds in the bay. Sloane divulges that the kidnapping of Michael is about Becca's late husband Paul. Seconds later, a sniper kills Sloane. Interpol Agent Rossi cannot help further. The Paul Winstone Interpol file is sealed. Becca needs to trust Agent Dax Miller.
Martin Newman (Keith Carradine) was Becca's CIA mentor, and also lead investigator into Paul Winstone's death. Newman joins the search. A tattooed man who is spotted in the Hotel surveillance video, when Michael saw his fathers murder, is also spotted in an old Winstone family photo. They identify the tattooed man as an ex-Mossad agent turned assassin. Agent Miller is told by CIA headquarters to cease the search. Newman convinces Agent Miller to defy those orders, and search for Michael. Newman tells Becca that Paul was suspected of being corrupt. In Dubrovnik, Becca chases after a suspect who has just killed the tattooed assassin. She has the suspect cornered and he is her husband Paul Winstone. With nowhere to run, he climbs over a seawall, jumping into the Adriatic Sea. Michael does some snooping around the mansion, and the snarly henchman locks Michael in his room. Later, a bloodied Oksana is thrown into Michael's room. She has taken a beating for Michael's snooping; But she says that for some still unknown reason, they will not hurt Michael. The CIA has learned of Paul Winstone's reappearance, and Dax is authorized to resume the operation.
The CIA's #1 priority is finding Paul. Dax's new strategy is to follow Becca instead of threatening to send her home. Interpol Agent Rossi discovers Paul has made a deposit into a dormant bank account in Prague. Becca and Rossi travel to Prague, and learn Paul has a safety deposit box; but the box requires thumbprints of Paul, Becca, and Michael. A man she recognizes as having made an exchange with Paul years earlier, attempts to capture her, and cut off her thumb. In video of Paul entering the bank, Becca sees Paul signaling her. Unable to access the box, Becca robs the safety deposit box with Rossi's help. The CIA arrives at the bank to attempt to stop her, but Becca and Rossi succeed. They disclose the contents of the box to Dax; it contains stock certificates from a Russian company, cash and a deed. At the house, Oksana leads Michael to a secret exit. He escapes, but he goes back to the house. He refuses to abandon Oksana. Documents in the box lead Rossi, Becca, and Dax to a house in the Czech countryside, but before they can find anything, they trigger a timing device.
Paul hijacks the CIA car carrying the Russian stock certificates. Later, Paul makes a drop-off with the certificates, and reports it to his Russian contact, who we now know as former Russian intelligence agent Azimoff. A search by the CIA of another of Paul's European houses reveals a master copy of a phony ID for Michael. CIA Director Ortega is now in Europe. Becca steals a helicopter, and crosses into Russia, where she walks into Azimoff's office at a Russian chemical company. Becca is taken by force to the house where Michael has been. Azimoff and a sniper in the woods shoot a Russian who is chasing down Michael. Michael and Oksana escape onto a train. Becca wants to go after Azimoff, but CIA Director Ortega places Becca into CIA custody. Dax rejects Agent Rossi's presence. Director Ortega says Rossi is a guest of a CIA operation.
Becca is questioned by Ortega in a CIA facility in Vienna whom she still believes that Becca is a double agent. In a flashback, Becca describes Operation Songbird in 1999, during which she and Paul reunite a 12-year-old boy with his mother. At the reunion, the boy, named Maxim, grabs a gun, and shoots his mother dead and escapes. Ortega tells her that Maxim is the blonde sniper working with Azimoff. When Ortega leaves the interrogation room, a secret door opens, and Becca escapes. When Ortega returns, Violet reveals herself to be the double agent when she stabs and kills Ortega, and leaves through the door to set Becca up. Miller and Rossi believe Becca has killed Ortega. Meanwhile, Michael and Oksana jump off the train, and are finally safe, after Michael is able to kill the main henchman from the house. Oksana might die from lack of insulin, but she tells Michael he is a hero. Becca is on the run, with the sniper following her. Becca is unaware of Ortega's death.
With Becca now a fugitive, she meets with Rossi at a station on the Vienna subway. Rossi ditches his wire and transmitter, and the CIA loses the tail. Becca regains Rossi's trust. Remembering details of an Azimoff phone conversation she overheard, they travel to a church to intercept Azimoff. The CIA gets a message about Michael. Meanwhile, Dax sends Martin Newman to Hungary, where Michael has taken Oksana to a hospital. Paul is at the church to exchange the second batch of stock certificates and his own life in exchange for Michael's freedom. Becca yells to Paul that Michael escaped. They escape from the church, and Paul explains he was working undercover years ago, and his cover was blown. There is a second stand-off. The blonde-haired sniper, who is Azimoff's son Maxim, kills Azimoff, instead of Paul. Maxim is remorseful about his life as Azimoff's hired killer. Maxim answers Azimoff's cellphone; Martin Newman is reporting to Azimoff that Michael has been recaptured. Martin Newman is the corrupt traitor and leader of the shadowy rogue group, referred to as Suspect Zero.
Violet is surprised that Maxim killed Azimoff, and she kills Maxim. As Becca and Paul make their escape from the church, Becca sees Violet shoot Rossi. Rossi survives, and at the hospital, Violet tries to finish the job. Meanwhile, Martin Newman escorts Michael and Oksana to Istanbul, where Oksana discovers the truth about Martin. Martin warns her to keep quiet. Violet makes a failed attempt to kill Dax, and CIA agents arrest Violet for her traitorous activity with Martin Newman. Paul shows Becca some evidence of the crimes committed by Newman. Bulgarian border police warn Martin of Paul and Becca's arrival. Paul sees police converging on the car, which has had contraband planted in it. Paul is arrested; Becca evades arrest. Martin Newman tells his paid mercenary that Michael has become a liability. The mercenary is told to kill Michael when they leave Istanbul at the conclusion of their business. Michael has doubts about Martin, after the mercenary prevents Michael from taking a walk off the property. Martin awaits arrival of a buyer for some stolen nuclear material.