Now that Laura is "dead", Elizabeth awakens from her coma and immediately wants to return to Collinwood. Victoria talks to David about his experience, but the only thing he remembers is the fishing shack. Victoria tells him that his mother had to leave town without him. After David leaves, Burke comes into the drawing room with Vickie and shows her Laura's locket, which he found in the ashes of the shack.

Sam receives an offer of professional exhibition of his paintings, but needs to regain some of his earlier works which are now owned by Roger. A stranger makes an appearance at the Blue Whale.

Elizabeth returns to Collinwood and is frantic to regain the key to the locked room in the mansion's basement. Victoria later sees Elizabeth leave the mysterious room.

Elizabeth makes Victoria vow to keep her visit to the locked room a secret. Meanwhile, a stranger arrives at Collinwood asking to see Elizabeth.

The stranger reveals himself to be an old acquaintance of Elizabeth's, Jason McGuire. Despite her protestations, Jason insists that he will be staying at Collinwood until further notice.

Elizabeth refuses to let her brother have the key to the locked room in the basement. Roger is later disarmed to discover Jason snooping about in the basement.

Maggie releases that the paintings were sold to Roger as a cover for a bribe. Elizabeth stops Roger from gaining access to the locked room in the basement.

Jason McGuire meets with his friend Willie Loomis at the Blue Whale. A broken Sam admits to Burke the truth of his involvement in providing Roger with an alibi for the car accident.

Burke and Sam confront Roger, who finally breaks down and confesses he was responsible for killing the man who Burke went to prison for. Jason makes another attempt to get into the locked room in the basement, but David catches him. Victoria and Carolyn start to suspect Jason and think he must have some kind of hold over Elizabeth. Jason tries to get into the locked room again, but Elizabeth catches him. She tells him to leave Collinwood immediately, but Jason points out to her that she killed Paul Stoddard 18 years ago and he helped her bury him.

Roger is forced to confess that it was him that drove the car that killed a man 10 years earlier, not Burke. Elizabeth is distraught to learn the truth and Roger is left devastated.

Joe almost comes to blows with Willie Loomis at the Blue Whale after lewd comments are made to Maggie. Willie later joins Jason as a guest at Collinwood, in spite of Elizabeth's protestations.

Victoria finds herself the disgusted victim of Willie's lecherous advances and is especially concerned by the way in which Elizabeth seems unable to intervene.

Carolyn is appalled by Willie's advances and uses a gun to scare him off. Both she and Victoria are disturbed by his antisocial behaviour and propensity for violence.

Willie becomes intrigued by the portrait of Barnabas Collins that hangs in the Collinwood foyer and the jewellery it depicts. Carolyn pressures Elizabeth for answers on the new arrivals.

Burke offers his support to Elizabeth if she needs help to combat the hold Jason has over her. However, though obviously distressed, Elizabeth refuses to acknowledge that she is being blackmailed.

Burke and Willie come to blows in the Blue Whale, when Willie threatens him with a knife. After the fight, Willie tells Jason he will only leave town if he is given money to do so.

Willie continues to be fascinated by the portrait of Barnabas and decides to do some research. After he learns that the Collins family were buried with their jewels, he begins to form a plan.

Willie visits the Eagle Hill cemetery and encounters the elderly caretaker, and claims to be a Collins family relative. Entering the family crypt, he is terrified to hear a mysterious heartbeat.

Everyone at Collinwood now believes that Will will soon be leaving town. Meanwhile, Willie Loomis attempts to open the tomb of Naomi Collins, hoping to find some of her jewlery buried with her. He finds a secret room. Inside it, he finds a coffin. Thinking that there might be jewels inside it, he opens the coffin. A hand comes out of the coffin and grabs his throat.

Elizabeth is disturbed by Willie's disappearence. While she did want him to leave, he did not take any of his belongings or the money Elizabeth offered him with him. Jason, looking for Willie, finds out from the caretaker that Willie had broken into the Collins Mausoleum the night before. At Collinwood, Mrs. Johnson opens the door and finds a man who asks for Elizabeth. Mrs. Johnson goes to tell Elizabeth, but first asks the man's name. He tells her his name is Barnabas Collins - the name of the man in the portrait that is hanging in the foyer at that moment.

Barnabas tells Elizabeth that he is from England, and is the only surviving member of the English branch. When asked, he tells her that he is thinking of possibly settling down in Collinsport. Barnabas visits the Old Hous and finds David Collins playing there. After David leaves the Old House, Barnabas begins to talk to the portrait of Josette Collins.

Jason tries to get more money out of Elizabeth, which upsets her because she still does not know whether Willie Loomis has left town. At the Blue Whale, Burke tells Carolyn that he is sorry for using her to hurt her family. Carolyn thinks that Jason is holding something against her mother. Jason warns Carolyn that if she doesn't stop asking questions her mother will get into trouble.

Barnabs meets Victoria at the Old House. He tells Victoria about the history of the Old House. Roger and Carolyn meet Barnabas at the Collinwood. They are both astonished by how much he looks like the original Barnabas Collins.

Joe tells Burke and Maggie that a calf was found drained of blood. Willie, visibly shaken/shaking, shows up at the Blue Whale, Burke plans to kick him out, but Willie apologizes for his behavior the other evening. Jason questions Willie tries to give him the money to leave town, but evades the questions and tells Jason he will be staying. Jason notices blood on Willie's sleeve.

Jason drags Willie back to Collinwood to apologize and then leave. Willie passes out after looking at the portrait of Barnabas. Jason convinces Elizabeth that Willie is sick and let him stay at Collinwood until he is better. Jason discovers a wound on Willie's wrist.