Hannibal explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler named Will Graham who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers. As Graham struggles with the gruesome nature of the crimes he investigates and his own fracturing psyche, Dr. Lecter subtly manipulates him while hiding his own identity as a cunning, cannibalistic serial killer. Together, they form a complex, intellectually intimate, and darkly co-dependent partnership that blurs the lines between law enforcement and monstrous villainy.