Kudo Shinichi is a 16 year-old teenager who studies at Teitan High School. He's got top marks in his class without having to make any effort at all. He loves soccer above all other sports and he's really good at it. However, he decided against pursuing a career in it because of his true dream -- which is to become a famous detective. Or the Sherlock Holmes of the twentieth/twenty first century, as he would say.

His father, Kudo Yusaku is a famous mystery novel writer, while his mother, Kudo Yukiko, is an actress of international fame. He started reading his father's novels and all the mystery books he could get his hands on since he was very little, thus obtaining an unique hability to analize and solve all kind of crimes.

His parents, being as famous as they are, left Shinichi behind at their house in Tokyo while they travel through the United States. He doesn't seem to mind living by himself and since there are certain elements that keep him where he is, it's not likely he'll decide to join his parents anytime soon.

During his free time, Shinichi uses his deductive skills helping the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, an activity which has earned him a certain level of fame as a genius teenager detective. He's also called the Detective of the East (in reference of Tokyo's emplacement).

However, the boy's career is suddenly brought to a halt when a pair of men, belonging to a so-called Black Organization, discover the youngster while spying on them. They decide to use a lethal experimental drug (APTX4869) on him to dispose of the threat. Fortunately for Shinichi, he doesn't die, but rather reverses physically to the state of a 6-year old kid -- with his brain intact.

In order to regain his original body, Shinichi must uncover the Organization behind those men in black and obtain an antidote. He tells Dr. Agase (an old friend of the family) about what happened, and ends up living in his childhood friend (and object of his affection) Mouri Ran's house, posing as Edogawa Conan. Moreover, Ran's father, Mouri Kogoro, is an unsuccessful private eye -- who ends up being used by the shrunken Shinichi as a method for solving cases (with the help of Agase's gadgets).

Shinichi, now Conan, continues solving crimes, while trying to get closer to the Organization and going back to elementary school. He also meets several people along the way (friends and foes), most of which aren't aware of his true identity.