Det. Michael Burton of the Los Angeles Police Department is a shallow, casual kind of guy until a near-death experience changes his life. Grazed in the head by a bullet during a stake-out, Burton dies and finds himself in limbo, surrounded by "shades"--spirits of the dead who are trapped there, unable to proceed to Heaven or Hell until they can complete whatever unfinished business binds them to Earth. Paramedics restart his heart, and Burton wakes up in the hospital--only to discover he can still see shades. Each episode sees him helping a shade to solve his/her problem so s/he can move on to the afterlife.