Charlotte Novik is a typical 19-year-old girl: she has an obnoxious older brother, friends who drive her crazy, a giant mansion overlooking the San Francisco Bay, and a refrigerator filled with blood bags. Oh, and did she mention she's a vampire? Because that's kind of important. When Charlotte accidentally kills someone on a busy street in broad daylight, she unwittingly sets off a string of similar murders throughout the city. Not only do these murders seem somehow connected to her, but also to an ancient vampire whose revenge-laden shadow has loomed over her family for centuries. Haunted by her best friend's death (and, subsequently, her murderer), Charlotte and her derelict family are forced to hunt down the killer before he threatens the exposure of vampire-kind. After all, what could go wrong? Especially with the gaggle of college kids who keep infiltrating their plans, and the golden human boy who can't seem to leave her alone.