Set in the year 2011, the season follows the Harmons, consisting of psychiatrist Ben (Dylan McDermott), his wife Vivien (Connie Britton), and their teenage daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga)
As they move from Boston to Los Angeles to make a fresh start after Vivien's miscarriage lead to Ben having an affair with one of his students, which almost tore their family apart
They move into a restored mansion and soon encounter the resident's housekeeper, Moira (Frances Conroy)
As well as their neighbors – the eccentric Langdon family consisting of Constance (Jessica Lange) and her daughter Addie (Jamie Brewer)
The Harmons' lives are troubled by the meddling Langdons
As well as the disfigured Larry (Denis O'Hare), a former resident of the mansion who is secretly in love with Constance
And the scorned Hayden (Kate Mara), Ben's student who follows him to Los Angeles and is pregnant from their affair
Ben and Vivien try to rekindle their relationship as Violet, suffering from depression
Finds comfort with Tate (Evan Peters), one of her father's mysterious patients who is plagued by violent dreams
The family soon discovers that the home is haunted by the ghosts of anyone who has ever died on the property
Flashbacks depicts the mansion's previous homeowners throughout the last century, dating back to its construction in the 1920s
The season mostly deals with infidelity, with other themes including depression, family, school violence, and sexuality
