The disappearance of a young Arkansas boy and his sister in 1980 triggers vivid memories and enduring questions for retired detective Wayne Hays, who worked the case 35 years before with partner Roland West.
Hays looks back at the aftermath of the 1980 Purcell case, including possible evidence left behind at an outdoor hangout for local kids; as attention focuses on two conspicuous suspects, the parents of the missing children receive a cryptic note.
Hays recalls his early romance with Amelia, as well as cracks in their relationship that surfaced after they married; 10 years after the Purcell crimes, new evidence emerges, giving Hays a second chance to vindicate himself and the investigation.
Hays and West see a possible connection between the local church and the Purcell crimes; as the detectives search for one suspect and round up another for interrogation, Woodard is targeted by a vigilante group.
Wayne finds himself in a no-win situation as new clues emerge in the Purcell case; Roland wrestles with how to keep evidence secure as lawyers demand a new investigation; Amelia finds her relationship with Wayne imperiled.
Wayne and Roland revisit discrepancies in the Purcell case that were hidden or forgotten, and take another look at Tom Purcell and Lucy's cousin, Dan O'Brien; the glitter of Amelia's book release is tarnished by a voice from the past.
Wayne struggles to hold on to his memories, and his grip on reality, as the truth behind the Purcell case is finally revealed.
The disappearance of a city manager disrupts a lucrative land scheme and ignites a police investigation.
Paul works the prostitute angle; Frank receives the first casualty in a secret war and steps back into a world he left behind.
The detail works a pawn shop lead to close in on a suspect in the Caspere case; Frank revisits his past.
Ray and Frank consider some new life choices; Ani and Paul travel up the coast together to follow a lead.
Frank is desperate to locate a missing woman with information about Caspere; Frank meets with Mexican drug dealers; Ani infiltrates an exclusive inner circle.
Ray, Ani and Paul take precautionary measures to elude detection and untangle a dark mystery; Frank deals with the fallout of his betrayal.
Frank, Ray and Ani weigh their options as Caspere's killer and the scope of corruption are both revealed.
Former Louisiana State CID partners, Rustin Cohle and Martin Hart, give statements to a pair of investigators about the murder of a prostitute that took place 17 years earlier.
Quesada warns Hart and Cohle that they may be replaced by an occult-crimes task force; the pair follows a lead to a rural cathouse and an incinerated church; Hart finds respite away from home.
Parishioners identify a scarred man seen with Dora Lange; a sex offender is brought in for interrogation; Maggie sets Cohle up with a friend; Cohle looks over old case files.
Hart and Cohle celebrate a solved case; Papania and Gilbough confront the detectives with new intelligence.
Maggie reveals Cohle's activities in 2002, when his relationship with Hart fractured and he quit the force.
Hart and Cohle investigate a string of disappearances that may be tied to the Dora Lange murder and the Tuttle family.
Hart and Cohle get a new lead in their 17-year-old case.