In the wealthy, seaside community of Neptune, the rich and powerful make the rules. They own the town and the high school, and they desperately try to keep their dirty little secrets just that...secret. Unfortunately for them, there's Veronica Mars (series star KRISTEN BELL), a smart, fearless 17-year-old apprentice private investigator dedicated to solving the town's toughest mysteries. Veronica actually used to be one of the popular girls, walking the halls of Neptune High with the rest of the "beautiful people." But it all came crumbling down around her after her best friend, Lilly, was murdered, and her then sheriff father, Keith (series star ENRICO COLANTONI), was removed from office for naming Lilly's billionaire father, Jake Kane, as the lead suspect. After Jake was exonerated, the scandal cost Keith his job, his home and his wife, and Veronica was ostracized by her friends, including her boyfriend, Duncan (series star TEDDY DUNN), Lilly's brother.

In an effort to help Wallace's new friend, Georgia (KYLA PRATT), who was duped out of her money in an Internet scheme, Veronica must outwit a group of computer, thugs, known as the Silicon Mafia. Meanwhile, Keith makes Veronica introduce him to her new boyfriend, Troy (recurring guest star AARON ASHMORE), before allowing her to go to the homecoming dance with him. Later, Logan helps Duncan edit together a memorial video for a school dedication ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of Lilly's death.

Veronica tries to help her new boyfriend, Troy (recurring guest star AARON ASHMORE), find his father's stolen car and turns to Weevil for assistance. But the situation becomes dangerous when she discovers that Logan and Troy's buddy might have left more than a piñata in the car after their night in Tijuana. While Keith has accepted that his wife is gone and begins dating school guidance counselor Rebecca James (recurring guest star PAULA MARSHALL), Veronica continues to secretly investigate her mother's whereabouts, leading her to stumble on a secret her mom was keeping.

Veronica investigates possible fraud at school in the election of student council president after Duncan wins, defeating a more popular but less affluent student who promised to eliminate the wealthy students' on-campus perquisites. Meanwhile, Logan causes a public relations nightmare for his movie star parents Aaron and Lynn Echolls (recurring guest stars and real-life couple HARRY HAMLIN - L.A. Law, and LISA RINNA - Melrose Place) when footage of him organizing boxing matches between homeless men is posted on the Internet and leaked to the media. Later, Veronica and Keith learn that the man who admitted to murdering Lilly is set to be executed, but a second look at crime scene photographs puts his confession in question.