Giles leaves town after wondering whether he still has a place in Sunnydale without Buffy. A vampire discovers that the Slayer has been replaced by a robot. Meanwhile, The Scoobies attempt to raise Buffy from the dead with a powerful spell.
Sunnydale is invaded by a gang of biker demons who, having learned that the Slayer is a robot, wreak havoc on the town. Meanwhile, the Scoobies attempt to flee from the demons while the real Buffy, having been resurrected from the dead, returns to the place of her death for an emotional confrontation with her younger sister.
Spike warns that the resurrection spell could have serious consequences, and his assessment proves to be correct as members of the gang are possessed by an unseen force.
Buffy faces financial problems while Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan team up in order to take over Sunnydale. They send a M'Fashnik demon to kill Buffy, whom they believe to be their biggest threat.
Buffy is in serious need of money to support herself and Dawn, and she tries to focus on bringing in some money. However, her attempts fail as Jonathan, Warren, and Andrew create a number of obstacles to test her ability.
Xander finally announces his engagement to Anya, and the Scoobies go back to Buffy's house to celebrate. Dawn sneaks out on Halloween by lying to Buffy but finds the boy she is falling for is a vampire, despite the fact he shouldn't be out on Halloween. Willow and Tara argue about Willow's overactive use of magic.
A mysterious force compels Sunnydale residents to break out into song and dance numbers that reveal their true feelings, and a new demon in town, Sweet, seems to be responsible for it. Buffy and Spike share a kiss.
Willow and Tara argue over an amnesia spell, and Tara insists that Willow is dependent on magic. Willow promises to go a week without using magic but breaches the promise, causing the gang to forget who they are. Buffy and Spike kiss again. Giles goes back to London. Tara and Willow break up.
Willow finds herself alone without Tara and discovers she's now powerful enough to turn the metamorphosed Amy from a rat back into human. They go out partying while Spike discovers that he can hurt Buffy.
Buffy is shaken by her previous meeting with Spike the night before, where they slept together and caused the building around them to collapse. Amy takes Willow to a sorcerer called Rack whose power gets her hooked. However, it ends with devastating consequences.
A social services worker threatens to take Dawn away from Buffy. Jonathan, Warren, and Andrew attempt to make themselves invisible, but the beam accidentally hits Buffy.
Buffy gets a job at the Doublemeat Palace, but soon becomes paranoid about the mysterious secret ingredient in the food. Anya is visited by her old friend, Halfrek, who questions her relationship with Xander.
Warren tries to make his ex-girlfriend Katrina his sex slave using magic, but when she fights back, he kills her. Afraid of getting caught, he convinces Jonathan and Andrew to help him use a curse to make Buffy think that she killed Katrina.
Dawn, feeling that nobody wants to spend time with her, makes a wish in front of a vengeance demon that everyone would stay with her. Fulfilling her wish, the demon causes everyone at Buffy's birthday party to be unable to leave.
Riley returns to town – newly married – and enlists Buffy's help to track down a demon. Her encounter with Riley causes Buffy to end her relationship with Spike.
Before Xander and Anya's wedding, Xander's future self suddenly appears, and warns him that his marriage to Anya will be the beginning of a life of disgrace and pain. Xander is shown flashes of the future, convincing him to call it off, but later it is discovered it is only a demon taking revenge on Anyanka from her demon days. Nevertheless, the wedding doesn't go ahead and Anya and Xander break up.
Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew unleash a demon whose powers make Buffy believe that her friends are figments of her imagination. Buffy attempts to attack her friends, locks them in her basement and unleashes the same demon on them. Tara eventually finds the trio and Buffy recovers from the demon's poison by drinking an antidote. By the end of the episode however, it is unclear which world is reality.
Anya seeks vengeance on Xander and when looking for someone who wants the same, she finds comfort with Spike. Xander sees their impulsive behavior through a camera and tries to stake Spike. Willow and Tara arrange a date, which ends with the two of them kissing.
Willow and Tara reconcile, and Tara tells Willow that Spike and Buffy had been sleeping together. After his advances are rejected yet again by Buffy, Spike attempts to assault a bruised Buffy in her home, but she manages to stop him. Buffy stops The Trio when attempting a large-scale theft. Andrew and Jonathan are caught and imprisoned, but Warren escapes with a jetpack. Furious at being thwarted once again, Warren attempts to shoot Buffy, wounding her but also hitting Tara, who collapses and di
Willow, after being told Tara cannot be resurrected, is pushed over the edge by her grief. After magically saving Buffy, a vengeful Willow hunts down Warren, who desperately tries to escape town. Though her friends try to stop her, Willow tracks down Warren and brutally murders him by flaying him and burning him alive with her magic.
After killing Warren, Willow plots to murder Andrew and Jonathan as well. Meanwhile, the rest of the Scoobies try to break the two nerds out of prison before Willow can get to them.
Giles returns armed with temporary magic, but Willow defeats him and decides to end her suffering and the world's by bringing on an apocalypse. Xander attempts to stop her. In Africa, Spike completes a set of challenges given to him by a demon who offers him his soul if he is successful.