Dracula: Plot Overview

The book begins by introducing Jonathan Harker, a lawyer from London going to Dracula’s castle in Transylvania. Before leaving to Dracula’s castle, the villagers warn him to not go and shower him with crucifixes, garlic, and roses. While on the way to Dracula’s castle Harker’s carriage is attacked by wolves but the mysterious man driving the carriage yells at the wolves and they flee. When he arrives to Dracula’s castle Harker sees that the count is an old man dressed in all black.

Later the two dine together but Dracula states he has already eaten, so while Harker dines, Dracula shows a letter of Harkers boss entrusting Dracula’s purchase of the property Carfax in southern England. Harker now notices Dracula’s full appearance which shows him to have pale skin, sharp white teeth, and crimson lips. Later in Harkers visit, he is shaving when Dracula appears and startled him.

Harker cuts himself with a razor leaving a small laceration on his chin. While he is checking this cut, Harker notices that Dracula has no reflection. Dracula, now seeing the bleeding cut on Harker lunges towards him but is halted by Harker’s crucifix. Dracula then tosses out the mirror and Harker now realizes that he is not just visiting the castle, but is imprisoned in it as well. Harker pieces everything together and realizes what the villagers were talking about. Dracula makes Harker write his boss a letter that he will stay another month. Harker writes this but he also writes in shorthand to his love Mina. This is intercepted by a gypsy who gives it to Dracula which enrages him and he burns the letter. Harker, now a prisoner and failing to send a letter to his love falls asleep into a room different from the guest room. He awakes to three women all bearing sharp teeth and crimson lips. Harker is entranced by the women who go in for a kiss, but Dracula confronts the women and tells them to go. Harker then wakes up in his own room confused about the last night. He goes to the door which is now locked, but Harker is determined to figure out the truth. He goes to the downstairs basement of the castle and sees a coffin containing Dracula himself. Harker is now looking for the keys to leave but cannot find it.

He slashed Dracula then runs upstairs to his room. The next day he sees 50 boxes being loaded to a wagon by gypsies. The gypsies deliver these boxes to the ship Dementor, with Dracula inside. We then see Mina writing to Lucy, about their new fiancées and the sudden disappearance of Harker. Lucy now is described as a sleepwalker and has been known for sleepwalking. We then see Lucy’s condition failing and her face is starting to have a paler color. We then learn that the ship Dracula was on wrecked and the only man on board, the captain was found dead bound to the steering wheel holding a crucifix. Dr. John Seward is introduced as one of Lucy’s failed suitors and enlists the help of Dr. Van Helsing. He is shocked by her condition and performs several blood transfusions to save her. The blood transfusions fail and Lucy dies. Van Helsing places a crucifix in Lucy’s coffin. Now escaped from Dracula’s castle, Harker claims that he has seen a younger Dracula in London. Van Helsing now tells the group that they must remove Lucy’s heart and head to save her from Dracula’s control. When they arrive to her coffin they are shocked to see that the crucifix is missing from the coffin.

They find that several children have gone missing and connect it to Lucy. They find Lucy at a gravesite and while she almost lures Arthur in with her seduction, he escapes her and they kill her once and for all. We see now that Dracula made Mina drink his blood putting her under his control. Van Helsing hypnotizes Mina and helps them discover Dracula’s location. They learn that he is returning to his castle where they need to defeat him once and for all. They cut off Dracula to his castle and get confronted with the three women who are rendered useless and disappear thanks to the crucifix and communion wafers. The group goes to Dracula’s castle and find the girls killing them in the process. They now see men taking Dracula’s coffin to his castle. They confront and fight the men, a group member Quincy Morris dying in the process. The men surrender and the group opens Dracula’s coffin and see him resting. They kill Dracula, seeing him turning into dust and scattering away. Later we see Mina now healed from Dracula’s control, having a child named Quincy, named after their fallen friend. The book ends with the curse being lifted and all of the group members living their lives knowing that there will not be another Dracula curse plaguing them.

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