Buffy returns from her summer vacation after defeating the Master and is not the same fun-loving Slayer she used to be. Her cold, distant behavior escalates when she discovers that the remaining vampire population are planning to resurrect the Master.

The bodies of several recently deceased teen girls are stolen from their graves, and most of the parts are discovered in a dumpster on school grounds. From the missing pieces, the gang deduces that someone has collected almost enough parts to build their own girl. Now, all they need is a head. They are running out of time, so they think of a way to get an extra fresh head.

 

A dangerous new vampire named Spike comes to town, hoping to use the power of the Hellmouth to restore his love, Drusilla, to health. He has killed two slayers before, and he decides to make Buffy the third, attacking Sunnydale High on Parent Teacher Night. Buffy must find a way to stop Spike and his vampire minions, lead her mom and the other parents and students to safety, and keep them from finding out that she is the Slayer.

 

While on a field trip to the local museum, one of the students breaks a ceramic seal in the coffin of an Incan mummy. The mummy rises and must consume the life-force of others in order to remain alive and retain her human appearance. She tries to fit in with the students at Sunnydale, and even starts to have real feelings for Xander. But when Buffy, Willow, and Giles realize who and what she really is, they may have to rescue Xander before he becomes the mummy’s next victim.

Giles is pushing Buffy in her Slayer training, her mother’s rules are becoming more and more strict, and Angel is growing more over-protective. Buffy is feeling pulled apart. When Cordelia’s college crush shows up on campus with a friend who has eyes for Buffy, Cordelia convinces Buffy to come with her to the frat party. But the party soon turns sinister, and Buffy learns the connection between the fraternity and the local girls who have recently gone missing. Xander, Giles, Angel and Willow must crash the party before all Hell breaks loose.

On Halloween, Buffy, Willow and Xander are 'volunteered' by Principal Snyder to take groups of kids trick-or-treating. They get their costumes from a new store run by an Englishman, Ethan Rayne. Xander chooses a soldier outfit, Buffy buys an 18th century noblewoman’s dress to impress Angel; and Willow, despite Buffy's attempts to get her to dress in a sexy skirt and halter, dresses as a ghost. Unfortunately Ethan turns out to be a bad guy and casts a spell to transform everyone into their costumes, and causing Buffy and Xander to have amnesia. When Spike and his vampire gang attacks them, Willow, Giles, Angel and Cordelia team up to save Buffy and the rest from being dinner, while they also need to put a stop on Ethan's curse spell.

Ford, an old friend of Buffy’s from L.A., shows up unexpectedly in Sunnydale, and seems to know that she is the Slayer. When Xander, Willow, and Angel discover that he is involved with a cultish group of disillusioned teens who idolize vampires, they must find out Ford’s true agenda before it’s too late.

The secrets of Giles’s dark past come back to haunt him when an old friend turns up dead in Sunnydale. As a troubled youth, Giles (known then as "Ripper") and his friends summoned a demon called Eyghon The Sleepwalker. Now, Eyghon has returned and is hunting down the people who used to call him up for their amusement. And the only two left are Giles and Ethan Rayne.

Its "Career Week" at Sunnydale High and Buffy is faced with the reality that she has no future apart from that of a Slayer. Meanwhile, so as to stop the Slayer from ending his plan to restore Drusilla's strength, Spike sends four deadly assassins to ensure the Slayer has no future. Also, a mysterious girl is following Buffy and Angel around and Xander and Cordelia are trapped in Buffy's house after being attacked by one of the assassins.

Buffy is attacked by the mysterious woman and during the fight learns that her name is Kendra and that she is a Vampire Slayer. Apparently her temporary death at the hands of the Master was enough to activate the next Slayer, and she has come to Sunnydale. They call a truce, and Giles convinces them to work together to save Angel from Spike and Drusilla. Meanwhile, still trapped in Buffy's basement, Xander and Cordelia find themselves falling for each other (totally against their will), and Willow and her computer-mate, Oz start an intriguing friendship, until Oz is wounded by another assassin who targets Buffy.

 

Buffy has parental issues when Joyce comes home with a boyfriend, the computer expert and master chef Ted, whose charming personality impresses everyone. Everyone except Buffy that is, who is not at all willing to give her mother up to someone else. Even Willow and Xander seem to love him. But after a while, they all realize why Buffy is so hesitant of Ted.

The students are given eggs to look after, so as to teach them about parenthood, but they aren't what they seem. Buffy finds out that there is something inside of the eggs, but no one will believe her. Soon the eggs hatch, the creatures inside take over their owners. They then lead them to the school basement to dig up the mother creature and Buffy is left alone to save them.

Buffy's 17th birthday is arriving, and Angel, Giles, Jenny, Xander, Cordelia, Willow and Oz prepares a birthday party surprise for her, while Drusilla and Spike have surprises on their own. But one surprise for Buffy is one that she would have never expected.

After a night of passion with Buffy, Angel awakens as a soulless monster. After killing a human for the first time in decades, he remembers what it is like to be a true vampire. He then joins Spike and Drusilla in their plan to destroy the world.

Buffy and the gang track down a suspected werewolf roaming in the woods and also try to stay out of the way of a maniacal werewolf hunter. Meanwhile Willow tries to get closer to Oz, unknown to her that he is the same killer they are after.

Xander tries to use Valentine's Day to further his relationship with Cordelia, but she succumbs to peer pressure and breaks up with him. With the help of Amy (who is exploring her mother's witch powers), he puts a love spell on her which goes horribly wrong, turning him into every woman's desire; except for Cordelia.

Angelus continues his obsessive torment of Buffy by visiting her during the night and leaving presents in her bed. Meanwhile, Ms Calendar tries to make amends for her deceit of Buffy and Giles by attempting to translate the Gypsy curse to restore Angel's human soul, with dire consequences.

When Buffy is admitted to hospital with a raging fever she meets Ryan, a young boy who has the same flu virus and claims that the sick children in the hospital are being persecuted by a monster that may be death himself.

As the Sadie Hawkins Dance nears, Buffy faces inner demons as she feels responsible for the loss of Angel's soul. Meanwhile, Sunnydale High is even more dangerous than usual as the ghost of a former student who killed his sweetheart and then committed suicide haunts the halls forcing people to relive the moments that killed them over and over.

When several members of the Sunnydale High swim team are mysteriously skinned alive, Buffy and the gang take it upon themselves to protect the remaining members, which results in Xander revealing a side of himself rarely seen.

Through flashbacks, we see much of Angel’s history. We see him sired by Darla in 1753, driving Drusilla mad and then siring her in 1860, and being cursed with a soul by the Kalderash clan in 1898. In the present, Angelus hatches a plan to awaken the demon Acathla, who will open a gateway to a hell dimension, and bring Hell to Earth.

Buffy arrives too late to save Kendra from Drusilla’s surprise attack, and ends up being arrested for Kendra’s murder. Escaping from the police, she goes to the hospital to find that Willow is comatose and unable to complete the spell to restore Angel’s soul. She also learns that Drusilla took Giles, and heads out to rescue him and stop Angelus once and for all but along the way she uses Spike's help.