Hannibal is a psychiatrist who works with Special Agent Will Graham to track down serial killers. Unknown to his colleagues, Hannibal is a cannibalistic serial killer known as the Chesapeake Ripper, who works behind Graham's back to further his own crimes. However, he sometimes uses them for other purposes such as committing two murders as a 'copycat' of the crimes of Garret Jacob Hobbs to present Graham with a clearer picture of the true killer's motives.