After spending the summer enjoying her passionate relationship with Damon, and making sure that Jeremy is adjusting after his return from the dead, Elena is thrilled to move into the dorm at nearby Whitmore College with her new roommate, Caroline. Still believing that Bonnie has been traveling all summer and will soon join them, Elena and Caroline are surprised when a student named Megan shows up and announces that she will be sharing their dorm room. Katherine makes an unexpected appearance at the Salvatore house and pleads with Damon to help her now that she is human and vulnerable to her enemies. Matt and Rebekah return to Mystic Falls after spending a wild summer in Europe, where they met a mysterious beauty named Nadia. Elena can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with Stefan, and Silas makes a terrifying appearance at the "End of Summer" party in the town square.
Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.
Complete story — includes the ending
With her relationship with Damon still intact, Elena begins her freshman year of college with Caroline at Whitmore College, excited about the chance to have a normal human experience, but their good time ends badly when their roommate is brutally murdered by what seems to be another vampire. Damon is left to take care of Jeremy, who has trouble adjusting back into school after telling everyone he faked his own death. After an altercation at school, he is expelled. Bonnie, still dead doesn't want anyone to know that she is dead and has Jeremy masquerade as her. Katherine has trouble adjusting to being human again and needs Damon's help after Silas comes after her and also her other enemies who are after her as she is vulnerable. Matt says goodbye to Rebekah after their summer traveling together and runs into an old friend named Nadia. Stefan is still in the locker underwater and is hallucinating while fighting the urge to turn off his humanity.