It's Christmas 2000, and the entire Scooby Gang are together to celebrate it, with dinner at the Summers home. In the kitchen, Buffy and Joyce both reach for a mince pie that has fallen to the floor. Everybody's happy and smiling.

In the present, Joyce's unresponsive body on the couch leads the frightened Slayer into a slight panic. She shakes her mum and eventually realises that she has to call 911. The operator tells Buffy to do CPR. Buffy gets upset when she breaks one of her mothers ribs. The operator instructs Buffy to wait for the paramedics, and then Buffy makes a call to Giles.

The paramedics arrive and as they are walking in Buffy notices that her mothers skirt has ridden up so she pulls it back down again. They try to revive Joyce with CPR.

Buffy imagines that her mother is miraculously brought back, thanking her daughter for getting there just in time. Suddenly reality hits and the paramedics call Joyce's time of death. After informing her that the coroner has been contacted, the paramedics leave.

Buffy starts to walk through to the kitchen, but she is overcome by nausea and throws up on the floor. Buffy covers up the mess with a paper towel, and stares at it as Giles arrives, worried by Buffy's phone call.

He discovers Joyce on the floor but Buffy tells him it's too late and that they're "not supposed to mive the body". Giles gives her a comforting hug, but Buffy can't take he eyss off her mother.

The coroner takes Joyce's body away.

At school, Dawn talks with a friend in the bathroom after being called a freak and other rumors (like Dawn cutting herself) started by another student, Kirsty. (See there's a Cordelia in every class)

They return to art class where the class is sketching a nude statue and Dawn talks about Kristy and a cute boy with her friend. The boy sketching nect to her comments on the rumoours but says he understands why she did it.

Buffy arrives and after a few moments with Dawn's teacher, she tells Dawn that they need to talk. Dawn's embarrased that her sister has turned up, but goes out with her so not to cause a scene. Dawn reacts hysterically to the news that her mother is dead, not wanting to believe the truth. Oblivious to everyone around her watching, she sinks to the ground sobbing.

Joyce's body is stripped of clothing at the hospital morgue by an examiner.

At her dorm, Willow stresses over what to wear to the hospital, She's looking for a blue jumper that Joyce really liked and finally breaks down into tears. Tara comforts her, kissing her repeatedly to calm Willow. Xander and Anya arrive to pick up Willow and Tara.

Willow and Xander are dealing by crying while Tara tries to remain strong and Anya is confused by the whole situation. The group discusses their plans and their thoughts on how Joyce died. Xander overreacts and starts accusing Glory, saying they should go out and kill the God there and then, so Willow calms him by offering to physically fight to help him get his aggressions out.

Anya asks inappropriate questions about Joyce and Willow snaps. Anya is hurt by the death like everyone else, but she doesn't understand death or how expressing emotions will fix anything. She wants someone to explain how she should feel, and she doesn't understand why no one will talk about it.

Xander punches a wall to let out some of his anger and after his hand is cleaned up, the gang goes to the hospital to help Buffy. Everyone meets at the morgue, hugging each other in support. A doctor comes out and tells Buffy, Dawn and Giles that Joyce most likely died from an aneurysm. He tells them all that it was probably sudden and painless and there was nothing that anyone could have done.

Giles volunteers to take care of all the paperwork and arrangements for Joyce, which Buffy graciously thanks him for. Anya awkwardly expresses that she wished Joyce hadn't died, but Buffy understands what she meant. Buffy and Tara are left alone while Willow, Xander and Anya go to get food and drinks for everyone and Tara offers her support because she too lost her mother.

Not wanting to believe her mother is dead, Dawn sneaks into the morgue to see her mother. When she hesitates to lift the sheet covering the body, another body behind her suddenly moves and a vampire rises off a table. Dawn doesn't notice him.

Dawn's disappearance is noticed and Buffy goes off to look for her. She finally finds her being attacked by a vampire in the morgue. Buffy fights and beheads the vampire with a medical saw. The sight of Joyce's body shocks Dawn and when Buffy tells her that their mother is gone from the body, Dawn innocently asks, "Where'd she go?"

Unnoticed to Buffy she reaches out a hand to touch her mothers face.