Buffy returns from the big city to find her friends have been battling the forces of evil without her. As she struggles to regain her mother's and her friends' trust, a new slayer named Faith arrives in town, quickly winning over all of Buffy's friends. But Faith's arrival is just the beginning of new forces Buffy must face. For a few nights later she encounters Angel, who has somehow returned, feral and violent from the hellish demon dimension where Buffy had sent him. But the real demon Buffy must ultimately face is already on this side of the portal, preparing a special graduation day surprise for Sunnydale High.
Buffy -- living on her own in a big city -- assists a girl whose boyfriend has mysteriously vanished. Back in Sunnydale, Buffy's friends do their best to battle the forces of evil without her.
Mr Trick enlists Giles' old buddy Ethan Rayne to manufacture and distribute boxes of candy which turn the adult population into uninhibited, irresponsible teenagers to keep them out of the way while the mysterious Mayor Wilkins pays a tribute to a demon.
Feeling useless due to his lack of supernatural powers, Xander becomes obsessed with becoming cool and falls in with a dangerous crowd. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang race to prepare for the Hellmouth to reopen.
After Angel breaks off their relationship, Buffy single-handedly battles three fearsome hell hounds so that her classmates can enjoy their senior prom.