In 18th-century Maine, Barnabas Collins is a wealthy playboy and the master of Collinwood Manor. However, his life takes a dark turn when he breaks the heart of a witch named Angelique Bouchard. In a fit of vengeance, Angelique curses Barnabas, dooming him to a fate worse than death—turning him into a vampire and burying him alive. Unbeknownst to Angelique, her curse inadvertently condemns the Collins family to a declining fortune and a legacy of misfortune.

Two centuries later, in the year 1972, Barnabas is accidentally released from his tomb and emerges into a world vastly changed from the one he knew. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find the once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Determined to restore his family's prominence and reclaim their glory, Barnabas sets out to adapt to this new era while protecting his kin from the external and internal forces that threaten them.