On an Irish country road in 1808, Donovan O'Roark is killed by a vampire, his bloodless body carried home by grieving loved ones.

Later, he wakes in a coffin at his own funeral. His family turns on him. His own father tries to drive a stake through his heart.

For a time he finds refuge in the nearby castle with a new friend, but a mob of villagers drives them out into the rising sun. He barely escapes with his life. His friend is not so lucky.

Tonight, Donovan O'Roark returns to Dunkinny.

So does Rachel Sullivan. After earning a degree in the States, she's again slinging beers in her hometown. But her true goal in coming home is to unravel the legends of the Castle of Donovan O'Roark. They say he was a vampire.

A stranger with a striking resemblance to his ancestor, who bears the same name, has taken up residence in the castle.

The locals fear he's the vampire, back for revenge. Rachel thinks he's her way in.

But it's getting out that's the problem. As passion explodes between captive and captor, a deadly superstition smolders in the village below, and when violence erupts, they'll need more than their burgeoning love to survive.