This episode introduces us to the complex life of Patrick Jane, a police detective with a troubled past who has a keen eye for detail. When a man and woman are found dead in their home, many believe they are victims of a serial killer, but Patrick knows better and must prove that this was not the work of Red John.
When a mysterious malcontent threatens the lives of the top executives at Carnelian, Inc., a conglomerate noted for its rapacious business practices, authorities initially dismiss the communication as a hoax until the company's personnel director plummets to his death at Jane's feet during a skydiving exercise.
Patrick Jane, Agent Lisbon and the CBI team investigate the murder of a student in a wilderness program for troubled kids. Patrick Jane must find a clever way to convince the troubled kids at a wilderness program to confide in him about what really happened to surround the death of one of their peers.
Patrick and the CBI team investigate the murder of a tutor, and find a mysterious little red box near the body, starting a chain of events that turns the murder into the search for a priceless ring stolen from the British Museum. Meanwhile, Lisbon is worried when a new boss, Madeleine Hightower, takes command of the CBI, as well as mysteriously learning about Rigsby and Van Pelt's relationship.
The CBI pursues two lines of investigation when a Santa is murdered: Patrick Jane goes undercover in an AA group; and Rigsby and Van Pelt question members of an authentic Santa society. Meanwhile, following the demise of a person in custody at the CBI, J.J. LaRoche is brought in to question the team when it appears to be an inside job.
Jane’s freedom is at stake when a grand jury is empanelled to decide if he should be tried for the murder of Red John. Meanwhile, Lisbon tries to find out how Jane feels about the possibility of her leaving Austin with Agent Pike, and Cho and Abbott follow new leads in the human smuggling ring they recently uncovered.
The team investigates a murder linked to a counterfeit diamond operation, but an illness forces Jane to direct his colleagues from the office as he recuperates. Meanwhile, Abbott is concerned that transgressions in his past could harm his wife’s chance to obtain a prestigious job in Washington, D.C.