While trying to navigate the everyday drama of high school, the smart, fearless, 17-year-old Veronica Mars also moonlights as an apprentice private investigator out to solve her wealthy town of Neptune's toughest mysteries. After coming to the aid of the new kid, sophomore Wallace Fennel, who's been duct-taped to the school's flagpole, Veronica ends up incurring the wrath of the thugs who put him there, Eli "Weevil" Navarro and his P.C.H. Biker Boyz. To get Weevil and his gang off her and Wallace's case, Veronica devises an intricate plan that helps some of Weevil's cronies avoid trouble with the law.

Meanwhile, defying her father, Keith Mars, the disgraced former sheriff turned private eye, Veronica pursues a late-night case of adultery against billionaire Jake Kane, only to make an unsettling discovery about her mother, who abandoned Veronica and Keith a year ago.

Veronica becomes suspicious when a young pregnant woman who lives in their apartment complex with her volatile boyfriend suddenly disappears; fearing the worst, Keith steps in to help his daughter investigate this case for the girl's estranged parents.

Meanwhile, Logan and Weevil get thrown into detention together after arguing with a teacher, leading the rivals to discover some surprising things in common. Later, while working on an alumni photo project in her journalism class, Veronica is shocked to discover in the '79 yearbook that her mother and Jake Kane were high-school sweethearts.

To help restore a cheerleader's ruined reputation, Veronica turns to funky computer geek Mac to find the hacker responsible for leaking the embarrassing, private results of a popular online "purity test" to all of Neptune High. Meanwhile, Keith helps Wallace and his mom with an unruly tenant in their building. Later, to get answers about Lilly's murder, Veronica attempts to visit Lilly's confessed, condemned killer Abel Koontz in prison.

The wealthy parents of a Neptune High senior hire Keith and Veronica to investigate a cult-like group and its charismatic leader after their son Casey moves out to live on the collective farm. Meanwhile, Veronica attempts to get to the bottom of Abel Koontz' claim that her real father is Jake Kane.

A series of fire drills leads Veronica to discover that Neptune High has been receiving bomb threats, so she enlists Wallace and Mac's help to investigate classmates who could pose a serious threat to the school, including new student Ben.

Meanwhile, Keith stuns Veronica with the news of who he's been secretly dating. Later, Duncan confronts Veronica about her ongoing investigation into his sister's death.

Deciding to give Jackie the benefit of the doubt since she's dating Wallace, Veronica tries to help Jackie determine who stole her credit card, leading Veronica to appear on a psychic's community access show to pursue a lead. Meanwhile, Wallace confronts his mother Alicia about who his real father is. Later, Veronica learns of a voice mail recording from one of the students that died, made at the moment the bus crash.

After Veronica gets busted for breaking into the school office and ordered in detention to reorganize the school's files, she stumbles on her mother's permanent record and learns that she was suspended for reasons that cause Veronica to further question e

While accompanying Wallace to Hearst College, she runs into her ex, Troy Vandergraff, who enlists her help when he is accused of date rape. Meanwhile, Keith helps Cliff with a personal problem involving a prostitute, and Logan makes a decision regarding his relationship with Hannah.

Veronica begins having dreams involving the dead students from the bus crash, who drop clues along the way. Meanwhile, Logan and Wallace become unlikely lab partners in Mr. Wu's class, and Keith helps Clemmons expose a doctor's scam.