Synopsis: – Recently returned to Sydney, Detective Robin Griffin is trying to rebuild her life. When the body of an Asian girl washes up on Bondi Beach, there appears little hope of finding the killer, until Robin realises ‘China Girl’ didn’t die alone. Robin looks to the investigation to restore herself, but her problems are personal. Haunted by a daughter given up at birth, Robin desperately wants to find her, but dreads revealing the truth of her conception. This case will take Robin into the city’s darkest recesses, and closer than she could have imagined to the secrets of her own heart.
Episode highlights
Episode 1 – Monday, 20 July 2026
Detective Robin Griffin is haunted by the memory of her daughter Mary, whom she put up for adoption years ago. Robin is eager to lose herself in a new case, and her wish
appears to be granted when reports come in that the body of an Asian girl has been washed up on a Sydney’s Bondi beach.
Episode 2 – Tuesday, 21 July 2026
The police name the deceased girl found on Bondi beach ‘China Girl’ and open a murder inquiry. A fetus was found alongside her body, leading the police to believe she was pregnant. A call girl named Linda shows Robin and Miranda around some inner-city brothels, including Silk 41, where they ask if any sex workers have gone missing. Robin writes to Mary and meets Mary’s adoptive parents, who tell her that they’re breaking up. Soon after, she gets a call from Mary.
Episode 3 – Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Robin meets her daughter Mary for the first time in busy Chinatown, but Mary is agitated and mercurial. The DNA results reveal that China Girl and the fetus weren’t related, and Robin concludes that China Girl was a surrogate mother. Robin and Miranda do some research into IVF clinics, and Miranda tells Robin that she and Adrian are in love and thrilled about their coming baby.
Episode 4 – Monday, 27 July 2026
A lone woman named Felicity is found by the police near Bondi beach, saying she’s lost baby. Robin questions her and her husband at the station. Soon after this Robin is confronted by Al Parker who attacks her physically. Puss clashes with Mary’s dad Pyke at her school Father & Daughter dance.
Episode 5 – Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Robin accompanies Pyke to the beach for Mary’s swimming lesson. Puss is also present, and he starts behaving in an aggressive way towards Robin. Mary has her 18th birthday and Puss takes her to the brothel so she can start working there, but Mamasan Dang says that she can’t. Puss decides that Mary should be a prostitute and drives her to a hooker’s strip, where he leaves her.
Episode 6 – Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Robin has a drink with Miranda and the two become friends again. Miranda tells Robin that she’s lost contact with her surrogate Mahlee and it’s the possibility of Mahlee’s miscarriage that she’s worried about. Robin gets a call from Pixie, who invites her to her flat to tell her what she knows about couples with surrogates. Robin goes to see Pixie, and various couples are waiting outside her flat. She tries the door, but the only answer is that of a dog barking.
Episode 7 – Monday, 3 August 2026
Robin is desperate to find Mary. She goes to a nearby park and finds the lifeless body of Bootie, Manasan Dang’s boyfriend. At the brothel the police hack into a live stream to an anonymous apartment where Miranda sees her surrogate Mahlee, but before she can see much more the frightened girls cover the camera. Bondi beach is sealed off, and as the hunt for the gunman intensifies, Robin and Miranda join the sweep of the
crowded beach. Robin soon locates a suspicious box. As she clears the area of people, Miranda kicks the box away and there is Brett.
Don’t miss Top Of The Lake: China Girl Mondays to Wednesdays at 20:30 on S3 and SABC Plus.
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Caroline Phalakatshela
Publicity Specialist – Video Entertainment 072 382 2032/ phalakatshelamc@sabc.co.za
