Buffy finally returns home. Xander, Willow, Oz, and Cordy have been trying to do some slaying in her place, but it isn't working out well. She finds that everyone is sortof shunning her, due to some passive aggressive anger about her leaving in the first place. Everyone throws her a welcome home party, but are somewhat cold even there. she thinks about running away again, but thanks to  some verbal explosions from Willow and her mom changes her mind. Meanwhile, an ancient mask buffy's mom owns turns out to have the power to raise the dead. The mask has awakened and begins to raise the dead. A friend of her mom's ends up being one of those raised and she is compelled to don the mask and a spirit takes her over. All the members of the party start turning into zombies and the only way to stop it is to kill the person wearing the mask, by stabbing them in the eyes. Buffy is also having dreams about Angel being alive.