The story follows a young Englishman, Aubrey, traveling companion to the older Lord Ruthven. They travel to Rome together, but Aubrey is advised that his companion might have some evil lurking beneath his surface. He warns off a woman who might have become a victim of Ruthven's seduction and heads off on his own to Greece. There he falls in love with Ianthe, a Greek peasant from whom he learns the superstitions about vampires; but before their relationship can develop, Ianthe is killed by a vampire and Aubrey is attacked while trying to save her.