Across the country, vampires have come 'out of the coffin' after the invention of mass-produced synthetic blood. In Louisiana, Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress with telepathic abilities, falls under the spell of a sexy, 173-year-old vampire named Bill Compton--whose thoughts she can't read. After saving Bill from the Rattrays, a pair of ruthless 'vampire drainers,' Sookie tests the limits of Bill's gratitude when the two are left alone in the dark. Meanwhile, Sookie's best friend Tara quits one job to work for Sam Merlotte at his bar and grill, and Sookie's roguish brother Jason finds himself in hot water when a 'fangbanger,' whom he's been intimate with meets a tragic end.

Bill returns Sookie's favor by rescuing her from the Rattrays' revenge, healing the wounded waitress with his own blood and leaving her, temporarily, with heightened senses. After being invited into Gran's house for a 'get-to-know-you' gathering with Jason and her family, Bill joins Sookie for a nocturnal sojourn. They end up at Bill's dilapidated antebellum estate, where Bill fights off his primal vampire urges for the acquiescent Sookie. Later, Sookie's desires get the better of her as she returns to Bill's--and is greeted by a gaggle of his bloodthirsty vampire friends.

Foiled in their attempt to 'glamour' Sookie, vampires Malcolm, Liam and Diane make a hasty retreat after Bill lays claim to the waitress. At Merlotte's, Sam seeks a short-term remedy to his long-term loneliness, while Tara seeks respite from her mother's alcohol-fueled rage. Spurned by Dawn for lack of performance, Jason turns to Lafayette, Merlotte's short-order cook, for help with his problem.

Another killing in Bon Temps finds Jason back in custody with officers Andy and Bud. Tara gets him off the hook, but neither she nor Lafayette has the antidote to his current ailment. Urged by Gran to use her telepathic abilities to weed out the murderer and exonerate her brother, Sookie persuades Bill to take her to a Shreveport vampire bar called Fangtasia, where she impresses a dominant Nordic bloodsucker named Eric with her prescient powers. Later, Bill demonstrates his own considerable powers when an abusive patrolman stops the couple on their way home.

Spurned by an exasperated Sookie, Bill ends up winning over Adele's church audience with his vivid recollections from the Civil War, though Andy and Bud remain suspicious. Sam tries to make the most of his opportunity with Sookie, though she's clearly not ready to commit. Ignoring Tara's rebuff, Lafayette convinces Jason to give vampire blood, a.k.a. 'V juice,' another shot. Alone at home, Bill remembers the painful wartime incident that changed his fate forever.

Numbed by tragedy, Sookie looks for refuge from the cacophony of her friends and neighbors' inner voices. After lashing out at his sister and decking Andy, Jason wrestles with withdrawal symptoms from his V-juice habit. Tara resists the overtures of her mother, Lettie Mae, who's trying to rid herself of a demon and needs her daughter's help. Sam and Tara make a connection in their mutual search for 'something real.'