Laura, narrator and heroine of the story, lives an idyllic life with her father in an old castle in Styria. Geographically isolated she is often lonely. A carriage accident delivers a mysterious young girl, named Carmilla, to the castle's doorsteps, hence putting a sudden end to Laura's solitude.
The two girls grow close quickly, yet Laura occasionally feels overwhelmed and confused by Carmilla's passionate advances which ignite in her fascination and abhorrence in equal parts. However, these tense situations do little to tarnish the camaraderie that permeates their everyday life.
Too soon this life is increasingly overshadowed as Laura starts to experience disquieting nightly visions and strange physical symptoms...
