Stranger Things is set in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana during the 1980s. The nearby Hawkins National Laboratory ostensibly performs scientific research for the US Department of Energy, but secretly does experiments into the paranormal and supernatural, including those that involve human test subjects, which start to affect the unknowing residents of Hawkins in calamitous ways.

The first season focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of a young boy by his friends, older brother and traumatized mother and the local police chief, amid supernatural events occurring around the town including the appearance of a psychokinetic girl who helps the missing boy's friends in their own search. The second season is set a year after the first, and deals with attempts of the characters to return to normal and consequences from that season.