HBO Max's logline for the series simply states that "Love & Death" follows "two church going couples enjoying small town family life in Texas, until somebody picks up an axe." However, the plot is much more complex than that, as the unsettling true story the series is based on involves betrayal, an affair, and a gruesome murder.
Per true events, Candy Montgomery and Betty Gore formed a friendship before things turned sour after the former developed feelings for Betty's husband, Allan. The two began an affair that lasted for months before it was eventually called off. But on June 13, 1980, while Allan was out of town on a business trip, his wife was stabbed in her home with an axe 41 times and Montgomery became the prime suspect. Montgomery was eventually arrested for the crime and tried in court, but a jury later found her not guilty. After the trial, she reportedly relocated to Georgia and became certified in family counseling, per The Dallas Morning News.
