
Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist who works at the Jeffersonian Institution and also writes books, has an impressive ability to read clues from victims' bones. Consequently, law enforcement calls her to assist with investigations when remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that standard identification methods are useless. Brennan is teamed with Special Agent Seeley Booth, a former Army sniper, who mistrusts science and scientists when it comes to solving crimes but who has developed respect for Brennan, both professionally and personally.

The team investigates the death of an a cappella singer whose body was found in a lab rat; Hodgins applies for an experimental nerve regeneration study; Booth tries to plan a summer trip with Parker; a new intern joins the lab.

An intoxicated college student discovers the dead body of a Secret Service agent just before a scheduled presidential visit to the area; former intern Dr. Colin Fisher leads the investigation while Brennan battles a case of the flu.

A documentary crew producing a television segment on the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal lab follows the team as it investigates a corpse found in a landfill.

Booth's hockey knowledge comes in handy when the team investigates the death of a player whose headless corpse was left in the river; Hodgins and Oliver use drones to see who can retrieve the victim's head.