The Behavioral Analysis Unit, a subsection of the FBI, is based in Quantico, Virginia. The unit is called in by local police departments to solve crimes of a serial and violent nature where the perpetrator is unknown. Using the scientific art of profiling, the B.A.U. tracks and apprehends the unknown subject by analyzing evidence and matching it to historic precedents and psychological analyses. Due to the demanding nature of their work, B.A.U. members are fiercely loyal and often struggle to maintain a happy or stable family life.
The team travels to Seattle to find the captor of four missing women.