Those closest to the crimes of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, the Green River Killer and BTK analyze the overlapping societal factors that allowed these serial killers to claim hundreds of victims while evading capture.

In the mid-to-late 1970s, Bundy, Gacy and BTK begin claiming victims while Dahmer and the Green River Killer inch closer to their grim fantasies. Blending into their communities and leading ordinary lives allowed them to elude close calls with police.

With their confidences growing in 1978, Bundy, Gacy, Dahmer, the Green River Killer and BTK -- also known as "The Five" -- continue their game of cat and mouse with law enforcement, some even going as far as directly taunting the police and media.

Gacy and Bundy are brought to justice and face punishment for their heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the Green River Killer becomes more of a threat than ever, Dahmer struggles to resist his murderous urges and BTK goes silent while he raises a family.

The Green River Killer claims 41 lives, and with no major suspects, the task force accepts help from an unlikely source -- Ted Bundy, who is sitting on death row. Meanwhile, Dahmer succumbs to his fantasies and commits his most heinous crimes to date.

The remaining three killers are captured between 1991-2005. In an ironic twist, the perfect storm of culture, media, law enforcement and technology the men exploited to evade capture evolves, ultimately ending their reigns of terror.