Plot Synopsis

Detective Kevin Corcoran, a rugged Irish immigrant cop, seeks justice for the powerless in the notorious immigrant neighborhood of Five Points in 1864 with the help of two Civil War compatriots -- Robert Morehouse, the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist, and Dr. Matthew Freeman, an African-American physician who secretly assists the forensic investigations -- who share a secret from the battlefield that inextricably links the lives of these three men forever. Corcoran returned to New York City from the Civil War to find that his daughter has been murdered and his wife has disappeared. Now, distraught and searching for answers, Corcoran's relentless quest to find justice for his family thrusts him into the contrasting worlds of elegant and corrupt Fifth Avenue and the emerging African- American community in Northern Manhattan. Assisted by Sixth Precinct partner and friend, Detective Francis Maguire and Detective Andrew O'Brien, Corcoran goes the extra mile when investigating a crime, much to the dismay of his superiors. Corcoran served on the battlefield with and still gets help from: Robert Morehouse, a handsome bon vivant and part of the Manhattan aristocracy, who was changed by the war and now sees the lower class, particularly Irish and African-Americans, as his equals and now spends more time drinking and cavorting with prostitutes than making a name for himself in the business world; and Dr. Matthew Freeman, an African-American physician, who was Morehouse's valet during the Civil War and whose two brothers-in-law were lynched during the Draft Riots, causing him to move his family to the African-American community of Carmansville in order to assure his wife's peace of mind. The other people in Corcoran's life are: Elizabeth Haverford, more than a mindless beautiful debutante, who uses her wealth and influence to improve the lives of others and enjoys Corcoran's companionship and protection; Eva Heissen, the Madame of Eva's Paradise, who lists Corcoran, Maguire, and several other coppers from the Sixth Precinct amongst her customers and show her gentler side with Corcoran, allowing him to find comfort in her arms while he years for his missing wife; Det. Francis Maguire, Corcoran's closest friend and partner in the Sixth Precinct, who assists Corcoran in his search for his missing wife, as well as in navigating the underground criminal world of Five Points; Det. Andrew O'Brien, a colleague and companion to Corcoran and Maguire, who is fiercely loyal to his family and friends but never turns down the opportunity to have a drink or a laugh at Eva's; Annie Reilly, a young runaway forced into prostitution to survive, who becomes deeply attached to Corcoran as he endeavors to protect her from danger and dislikes the mannered world of Uptown New York City and feels at home in the gritty underbelly of Five Points; and Molly Stuart, an ambitious courtesan at Eva's Paradise, who entertains several gentlemen from both Uptown and Five Points in her quest to rise to the top of her profession and is seeking to gain favor with Corcoran. COPPER returns for its second season on Sunday, June 23, 2013 at 10pm ET/PT with Alfre Woodard guest starring as Hattie Lemaster, a former slave who recently arrived to the Five Points to start anew while reconciling her past. Plus, Donal Logue joins the cast in Season 2 as General Brendan Donovan, who returns as the leader of the Sixth Ward during a time when young men are dying and disappearing at an alarming rate and a career criminal is terrorizing the ward.