Series Premiere. Hannah, a 24-year-old aspiring writer living in NYC, is blindsided when her parents cut her off financially. Subsequently fired from her unpaid internship, she seeks comfort from Adam, the eccentric actor she sometimes sleeps with when she can get him to respond to her texts. Meanwhile, Hannah's best friend and Type-A roommate Marnie hosts a dinner party for their bohemian British friend Jessa, who has returned from who-knows-where to move in with her younger, 'Sex and the City'-obsessed cousin Shoshanna.

Hannah reveals her Forrest Gump-induced AIDS phobia when she realizes Adam might not be practicing monogamy. Marnie lives in denial of her growing boredom with (and sexual repulsion by) her long-term boyfriend Charlie; Jessa avoids Marnie's meticulously planned day at a women's health clinic, where Shoshanna confesses a humiliating secret.

Hannah meets up with her erstwhile college flame to find out how she contracted HPV, uncovering much more in the process. Marnie's art-gallery boss introduces her to a cocky artist who piques her interest, while Jessa gets a baby-sitting gig.

Adam sends Hannah a 'sext' message that puts her in a tailspin. Meanwhile, Hannah's boss gets touchy at her office job, Shoshanna reunites with a boy from sleepaway camp, Jessa gets distracted while watching her charges, and Ray and Charlie snoop through the girls' apartment.

At Jessa's advice, Hannah decides to better her story by propositioning her boss. She subsequently retreats to Adam, who has a different idea about the state of their union. Meanwhile, Marnie and Charlie assess their relationship, and Jessa is determined to reconquer an ex.

Hannah's parents fly her back to Michigan to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Though they hope she'll go on their date, she gets one of her own instead, and catches up with some high-school friends who are mourning a hometown tragedy.