Carter Brown panics when Sheriff Buck wants his teen-age daughter to work for him as payback for an old favor. When he refuses, his life quickly begins to unravel.

Gail may have pushed Sheriff Buck too far when she accuses him of foul play in the death of his former girlfriend, who was with him just before her car mysteriously drove off a bridge.

Sheriff Lucas Buck gets revenge --in his own chilling fashion-- on four men who move to Trinity and set off a crime wave.

Radio talk show host Mel Kirby approaches Lucas for help in bringing his show to television. When Lucas refuses Mel and his co-anchor wife, Gloria vow to ruin Lucas. Meanwhile, a depressed Caleb decides he wants to give Merlyn a second funeral.

Lucas may have corrupted the local priest, Father Tilden, and he may be able to take his revenge on townspeople who cross his path. But not even he can control the seemingly miraculous activities of the dead Merlyn, determined to make Lucas answer for his crimes.

Lucas calls on the ghost of the Boston Strangler to come to Merlyn. Lucas leaves town to attend a convention and Albert De Salva -aka The Boston Strangler- decides to do more than just try to kill Merlyn.

Through dreams and visions, Lucas allows Gail to learn bit by bit what happened to her parents. She learned that her father was abusing her and her mother was having an affair with Gage Temple, Caleb's father.