When a video game becomes all too real, its possible outcomes turn deadly. Can Buffy, Xander and Anya save its players from crossing the line...? Buffy and Dawn are finding it difficult to adjust now that their mother has gone. Buffy is reluctant to take on the role of parent, and she and Dawn are arguing more than usual. Because of this, Buffy fails to notice some strange behaviour among the video-game crowd in Sunnydale. One of Xander's friends starts acting crazy outside the cinema -- laughing and babbling to himself, muttering that he can't be stopped -- and as Xander and Anya investigate, it becomes clear that people who have been testing a new video game are similarly affected. As the Slayer attempts to put all of the pieces together, Anya is abducted into an alternate demon universe. Buffy has to find a way to get her back to Sunnydale before the game is over, for good...