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.