When two local students go missing, Alaric sends Hope, Lizzie, MG and Landon to Mystic Falls High to investigate. Meanwhile, as Josie helps Rafael adjust to his new life at the school, his reluctance to follow the wolf pack's rules puts a target on his back. Lastly, an unsettling discovery puts Alaric and Sheriff Donovan at odds with one another.

As Lizzie and Josie prepare for their long awaited sweet sixteen party, Alaric finds himself preoccupied with the latest supernatural arrival – one that hits a little too close to home. Elsewhere, Penelope's latest plan gives MG one last shot at impressing Lizzie on her big day, while an unexpected betrayal causes tensions to boil over between Hope and Rafael.