Synopsis:
Buffy Summers, a sophomore, prepares to start life anew as a student at Sunnydale High, an affluent suburban school in Southern California. Her mother wishes her good luck and asks her to not get kicked out of this school. Her principal also expresses concern when looking over Buffy's transcripts from her old high school. He is worried about her falling grades, gang fights, and that little incident where she burned down a gym.The kids at Sunnydale prove friendly. Xander, a skateboarder, is instantly smitten as he helps Buffy when she drops her books and stake. Cordelia, trendy and popular, takes Buffy under her wing and shows her the ropes. Willow, a shy, intelligent girl, is grateful that a cool girl like Buffy is nice to her. Even the librarian, Mr. Giles, befriends Buffy.When she stops by the library to get her textbooks, he offers her a book about vampires. Giles goes on to explain that he is a Watcher, the person whose job it is to train and prepare Buffy to slay vampires. According to Giles, Buffy's new home is a center for supernatural occurrences. He warns that a crucial, mystical upheaval is coming very soon. Buffy is unmoved, saying she is retired.A boy's dead body is soon found in the girls' locker room. Using superhuman strength, Buffy breaks into the locker room and discovers that the deceased boy has two big bite marks on his neck. Buffy seems resigned to her fate. That evening, on her way to a nightclub called the Bronze located in the bad part of Sunnydale, a man named Angel stops Buffy and warns her that she is standing at the mouth of Hell. He also intones that the Harvest is coming.At the Bronze Buffy meets up with her new friends and Giles. Looking out over the dark, crowded club, Giles feels it would be the perfect breeding ground for vampires. As Giles helps Buffy hone her vampire spotting skills, she sees one talking to Willow. Before Buffy can react, Willow and the vampire depart. She follows them to the outskirts of a graveyard. In the ruins of a church inside the graveyard, the Master, the most powerful of vampires, awaits the arrival of his servants bringing him food.The vampire and Willow enter a small mausoleum. Inside are several other students and other vampires. Buffy arrives and begins fighting her undead opponents. She shows tremendous strength and athleticism, but a vampire named Luke proves too much for her. Luke strikes her hard and Buffy falls into a tomb. Luke roars demonically and jumps on top of her.