Buffy decides that she loves Angel too much to watch him die. She angers him by beating on him until he puts on his vampiric face, then she lets him feed off her. Angel realizes what he's done only after Buffy becomes unconcious. Angel rushes her to the emergency room and calls the gang to the hospital. A disturbed mayor is in the room next to Buffy's gazing at an unconcious Faith while a doctor tells him that she'll probably remain in a coma for the rest of her life. The angry mayor finds Buffy and tries to smother her, but Angels swoops in and throws him across the room. The disgruntled mayor leaves but promises revenge for what they did to his Faith.
Buffy has a dream while in the hospital that takes place in Faith's apartment. Faith is there and tells Buffy about how human weakness never goes away, not even the mayor's will go away. It seems Faith and Buffy reach an understanding of forgiveness and Buffy wakes up. She climbs out of her bed to lay a kiss on Faith's head before starting down the hall to find the gang waiting. Angel was already told to leave, since the sun was coming up and the group is very antzy. She tells them they'll have to get everyone together if they want to beat the mayor because she as a plan.
Buffy figures out Faith is the mayor's human weakness and plans to use that along with Xander's skills from when he became a solider in "Halloween". Everyone comes together to help set the plan into motion.
Cordelia helps Wesley with some of the books in the back of the library. She is distressed since he has to go back to England because Buffy has officially refused to work with the Watchers' Council. Cordelia and Wesley share a sloppy kiss (which is hilarious) and realize that it probably wouldn't work out between them.
On graduation day they all march into the school's courtyard (except Oz and Willow who arrive late due to the fact they decided to "panic" in their special way again) in their maroon robes to await destiny. After some warnings on behavior from Principal Snyder the mayor takes the microphone to start the commencement speech. An eclipse happens and soon after the mayor starts his transformation from human to demon. The vampires come up the back to keep everyone in for food for the mayor or atleast that was the plan. However, when Buffy gives the signal the graduates fling off their robes and reveal the weapons they're carrying. Xander leads the first line of defense against the mayor with flame throwers while others shoot with bows and arrows and others turn to fight the oncoming vampires. Angel ends up fighting, Wesley attempts to fight but ends up being trampled. While all this carries on Buffy shows the now serpent mayor the knife she used to stab Faith. The serpent mayor takes off after Buffy who is running throught the school. She leads him to the library then jumps out a window and runs to where Giles is waiting to be told to detonate the bombs in the library. The entire school blows up in front of their eyes killing the mayor withing who simply exclaims, "Oh, gosh!" when he realizes what's about to happen.
Ambulances and fire trucks arrive to put out the fire and tend to the injured. Prinicipal Snyder got his last deserts by being devoured right after the mayor tranformed and a few others were hit rather hardly but we do not find out how they are. Wesley is taken away into an ambulance while whimpering. Giles stops to congratulate Buffy and to give her a diploma. Buffy finds Xander, Cordelia, Oz, and Willow staring at where the school once stood. They exchange a few words about how tired they are and head off in the direction of home. The camera zooms in on a yearbook lying in the grass that proclaims on its cover that, "The Future Is Ours."