
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 investigation into the murder of a golfer-turned-lumberjack reveals numerous secrets that could have led to the victim's demise, including an affair with a married rival.
Corpses that are linked to Booth's former Army unit turn up around D.C.; Brennan's father hides a serious medical procedure from her.
A recent loss creates tension between Booth and Brennan as they each try to deal with their grief; an old flame from Brennan's past visits.
Booth, Brennan and Aubrey go undercover at a rowdy demolition derby to investigate the case of a young man who died in a horrendous hay baler accident; Dr. Gordon Wyatt returns and assists Hodgins and Cam when the Gormogon case hits a dead end.