Buffy and Dawn are having difficulty settling into their new roles, now that their mother is gone. Buffy herself is reluctant to cross over to the role of parent, and the two are bickering more than usual.
In fact, Buffy's distraction prevents her from noticing strange behavior among the video-game crowd. One of Xander's friends goes medieval outside the Sunnydale movie theatre, laughing and babbling that he can't be stopped - he's only in town on a temporary visa. Puzzled, Anya and Xander investigate. It seems that people who've been testing a new video game have been demonstrating creepy tics.
As the Slayer attempts to put all of the pieces together, Anya is abducted into an alternate demon universe. Buffy had better figure out how to get her friend back to Sunnydale, before the game is over, for good . . .
