"Without a Trace" is a fast-paced procedural drama about the Missing Persons Squad of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York City. The sole responsibility of the special task force is to find missing persons by applying advanced psychological profiling techniques to the evidence and decide whether the missing people have been abducted, murdered, committed suicide or simply run away. Members of the unit include supervisory agent Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) and field agent Samantha "Sam" Spade (Poppy Montgomery).