The season revolves around the lives of Louisiana State Police murder detectives Rustin "Rust" Cohle and Martin "Marty" Hart. For more than seventeen years, they follow the investigation into the strange murder of young woman Dora Lange - which appeared to be a ritualistic manslaughter and the histories of several other undiscovered crimes of which the offender is still a mystery. During this time, Hart's personal problems threaten his marriage to Maggie, while Cohle manages to handle his troubled past haunting him.