The premise of the show is that one day 2 percent of the Earth's population simply disappears....and no one has a clue what happened. Some think it is a rapture event...but theologists deny it. Others think it is all alien abduction...but there is no proof of that either. At a hearing before a Commission of Congress, the people who come to testify just conclude: We don't know what happened. While that is the seminal event, the show is about the people who have been left behind (the Leftovers) and how they deal with it. While that sounds basic, it is not that basic. There is this weird cult group whose actions are totally nonsensical, plus a Messiah like character that supposedly can take away people's pain and grief.

So, basically, it is a situation where you can watch an entire season....and still not have hardly a clue as to what the fuck is going on.