Marvin J. Lipfird is the sheriff in town. He relies on his team of dedicated deputies and sergeants to both patrol and set up sting operations to bring down dealers and make the county of Harlan, Ky., a safer place. This season kicks off with a harrowing gunfight in the more affluent neighborhood of Ivy Hill. Sheriff Lipfird and his second in command, Sgt. Miron Southerland, try to help the deputies cope with the aftermath.
Sheriff Marvin J. Lipfird investigates arson in his old neighborhood. Using his good old Kentucky charm, he is able to coax a confession out of the woman who started the fire, but the victim, who is like a mother to the offender, shows no mercy and decides to press full charges. Meanwhile, rookie deputy Travis Freeman goes on a wild goose chase after a drug dealer. When the suspect escapes out the back, Travis realizes he could have missed his one chance at ever catching a criminal.
When a serial arsonist is on the loose, Sheriff Marvin J. Lipfird and his deputies follow every lead possible to prevent an innocent person from getting hurt. They believe they have narrowed in on a suspect, but without evidence and a solid lead they are forced to get creative. They find a friend of the suspect who happens to have a few warrants of his own, which means leverage for the officers.
A night on patrol with Sheriff Lipfird takes a turn for the worse when a DUI suspect has heart attack symptoms that might be related to using bath salt-laced cocaine. With these hard-core drugs hitting the streets of Harlan County, Ky., Sheriff Lipfird and his deputies make it a personal mission to find and bring in the drug kingpin responsible, but doing so won't be easy. When they lock in on a suspect, they find out that he is sitting on a lot of fire power, and has a history of using it.
A search for illegal marijuana-growing operations leads to a run-in with an old friend of the sheriff.
Sheriff Lipfird and his crew scour Harlan County looking for a dangerous drug dealer. Elsewhere, two officers discover an abandoned building showing signs of violence in the countryside.