Having survived a vampire attack, Koyomi Araragi observes that his friend and savior, Tsubasa Hanekawa, is behaving oddly. While heading to a bookstore, he runs into her and spots a bandage on her face, realizing that something must definitely be amiss. Araragi wishes to assist her, yet Hanekawa insists the injury is merely a domestic accident and tells him not to worry about it. However, after a tailless white cat is struck and killed by a car, the two bury the animal, and the genuine trouble commences. Later, Araragi visits his friend Meme Oshino and relates the day's events. He learns that what they buried was actually an apparition, one perfectly suited to Hanekawa's current condition. Charged with locating his friend to ensure her safety, he finds that she has attacked her parents, possessed by the "Sawari Neko." Now, it falls to Araragi to aid Hanekawa, just as she once aided him.