In "Played", the CIU (Covert Investigations Unit) risks going undercover to infiltrate and bring down criminal organizations. In this new style of short-term, high-intensity undercover work, each covert “play” is crafted quickly and executed at an even faster pace. Placed into various worlds of crime without a safety net, the cops are in constant danger, as they repeatedly go off the grid. Wearing wires, coaxing confessions, and setting up stings, the cops of the CIU must think quickly, talk smoothly, and rely on pure instinct. They slip in and out of characters so often that, sometimes, they lose track of who they really are.
　　The team of highly-skilled and brave detectives is led by undercover cop John Moreland. At the top of his game, John has great instincts, and is usually in charge, but when the new Covert Investigations Unit is established, it is the consummate strategist Rebecca Ellis who is given the reigns, resulting in tense conflict between the two. Rebecca keeps John on track by balancing his from-the-hip instincts with her keen intellect. However, ultimately Rebecca and John need each other to pull off their risky plays and they know it.