Plot Synopsis

THE LEFTOVERS is the story of the people left behind when, three years earlier, 2% of the world's population disappeared without explanation. In the meantime, the world struggled to understand what they were supposed to do about the event, while they tried to determine whether or not The Rapture really happened. Now, Kevin Garvey, the police of chief of a suburban community in New York, is trying to maintain a sense of normalcy, even though his wife, Laurie, left her life behind and joined the Guilty Remnant, a silent, white-clad group of chain-smoking men and women, who team up in pairs to stake out people and places around town. At home, Kevin faces additional challenges, as his daughter, Jill, is lost in a cloud of apathy with her friend Aimee and his son, Tom, has gravitated to a cult led by the charismatic Holy Wayne. Meanwhile, Reverend Matt Jamison thinks he knows exactly what the Departure was -- and what it wasn't -- and is committed to renewing the town's faith. Other townspeople include: Meg, who has serious doubts about her impending wedding; Nora, who lost her entire family in the Departure, making her a minor celebrity; Patti, a Guilty Remnant leader; Dean, a stranger who could be Kevin's greatest ally; Christine, a follower of Holy Wayne and object of Tom's interest; and more residents trying to make their way in a new world following the Departure. Based on Tom Perrotta's novel of the same name, THE LEFTOVERS began its 10-episode first season on Sunday, June 29, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT on HBO, with Damon Lindelof as the series showrunner. In the Season 1 finale, "The Prodigal Son Returns," an unexpected ally helps Kevin get out of a jam near the town of Cairo. Meanwhile, an elaborate Memorial Day initiative by the Guilty Remnant plunges Mapleton into chaos. Holy Wayne grants a final wish; Tom copes with his new reality; and Nora makes a life-changing decision. THE LEFTOVERS returned for its second season on Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT on HBO, as the Garveys move to a small town in eastern Texas where no people vanished -- even though no other country, state or city was spared. After retiring as chief of police in Mapleton, Kevin moves his new family to Texas. With him is Nora, who's discovered new purpose in caring for the baby she found on Kevin's doorstep and welcomes leaving behind Mapleton and the incredible tragedy she suffered there. Kevin's daughter, Jill, is equally eager to leave the town she grew up in and the friends she made there. Upon their arrival in Jarden, Texas (which was renamed "Miracle"), the newly formed Garvey family meets their neighbors, the Murphys: John and Erika and their teenage twins, Evie and Michael. Attracted to this special town and hoping for miracles for his whole family, Matt has moved with his wife, Mary, who still suffers from consequences of the terrible car accident. Meanwhile, Kevin's ex-wife, Laurie, has left the Guilty Remnant and reunited with her son, Tom, who may have finally discovered a cause to help replace the pain in his heart. And while Meg remains in the Guilty Remnant, it may not be the same cult she originally joined. On Sunday, April 16, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT, HBO premiered the eight-episode third and final season of THE LEFTOVERS. The new season finds the Garvey and Murphy families coming together as they desperately grasp for a system of belief to help better explain that which defies explanation. The world is crackling with the energy of something big about to happen, a corresponding bookend to the Sudden Departure that sent them all spinning years earlier, bringing their journey Down Under. With the seventh anniversary of the Sudden Departure approaching, Kevin Garvey is at a crossroads. Though no longer tormented by Patti, he still questions if an ordinary life is possible. For Nora, Miracle didn't turn out to be the safe haven she was looking for, and Kevin's strange behavior has made her fear for the stability of their family. But Nora's nothing if not resilient. Laurie Garvey, who left the Guilty Remnant (G.R.) and became a sworn enemy of her former cult, has rejoined her splintered family in Texas. Steady, watchful and wiser than her years, Laurie's daughter, Jill, seeks stability in her own life. Laurie's son, ex-Holy Wayne follower and former undercover G.R. member Tom, wonders if he can just be a son and brother again. Meanwhile, Matt Jamison's faith in God -- and in Miracle -- has been rewarded. His wife, Mary, who awakened pregnant from her coma, has resumed life with him. All Matt can do is count his blessings and keep preaching the Word. Season 3 also finds the Murphy family affected forever by the faked disappearance of their rebellious teenager, Evie, and by the rogue operation in Miracle, conducted by Meg, the most radical member of the G.R. Hardcore skeptic John Murphy has been shaken to his core by a series of inexplicable events, making him believe there may be miracles in Miracle after all. Erika Murphy, a physician who dabbles in magical thinking, and a mother spurned by the daughter she loves, is smart and tough, but there's only so much she can take. Son Michael, the most religious member of the family, is a faithful Christian who believes he has witnessed an actual resurrection. And while all of them in Miracle are trying to find what is lost, to reconnect, to get better, Kevin Garvey Sr., the former Mapleton Chief of Police who heard voices in his head, is now at large in Australia.
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On Sunday, June 4, 2017 from 9-10:15pm ET/PT, HBO premiered the series finale of THE LEFTOVERS. In the 75-minute series ender, "The Book of Nora," nothing is answered, everything is answered, and then it ends.