Isabella "Bella" Marie Swan moves from sunny Phoenix, Arizona to rainy Forks, Washington to live with her father, Charlie, to allow her mother Renée to travel with her new husband, Phil Dwyer, who is a minor league baseball star. Even though Bella never had many friends in Phoenix, she attracts much attention at her new school in Forks, and is quickly befriended by several students. Much to her dismay, several boys in the school compete for shy Bella's attention.
When Bella sits next to Edward Cullen in biology class on her first day of school, Edward seems utterly repulsed. Edward is stunningly attractive, and inhumanly beautiful, yet he is an outsider too. He moves as far away from her as possible. He even attempts to change his schedule to avoid her, which leaves Bella completely puzzled about his attitude towards her. Shortly after he disappears for a while, Edward begins to talk to Bella, having seemingly forgotten their unfriendly first encounter. One day, Bella looks at Edward, who is far away, in the parking lot. Oblivious to her, a student (Tyler Crowley) had lost control of his vehicle, and it was rapidly progressing in her direction. Bella realizes this at the last moment, thinking she is dead. However, Edward appears and stops the oncoming car completely with one hand, leaving a dent, and shocking Bella with his speed and strength.
During a trip to the La Push reservation, Bella tricks a family friend, Jacob Black of the Quileute tribe, into telling her the local tribal legends and she finds out why, although the Cullens have lived in Forks for two years, they have never really been accepted by the townsfolk. Jacob mentions the Cullens, and says that most of the reservation believes that they are vampires, though he doesn't think so. During a trip to Port Angeles, Edward rescues her again, this time from a band of serial rapists and killers. Bella asks him if what Jacob said about his family is true. Edward admits that he and his family are vampires, but says that he and his family only drink animal blood to keep themselves from turning into the monsters that many other vampires are.
Edward and Bella's relationship grows over time, and they fall passionately in love. Their foremost problem is that to Edward, Bella's scent is a hundred times more potent than any other human's, making Edward struggle to resist his desire to kill her. However, despite this they manage to stay together safely for a time.
The seemingly perfect state of their relationship is thrown into chaos when another vampire coven sweeps into Forks and James, a tracker vampire, decides that he wants to hunt Bella for sport. Edward's family plan to distract the tracker by splitting up Bella and Edward, and Bella is sent to hide in a hotel in Phoenix. Bella then gets a phone call from James in which he says that he has her mother, and Bella is forced to give herself up to James at her old ballet studio. Upon meeting him, Bella discovers her mother wasn't at the dance studio and was safe all along. James attacks Bella, but Edward, along with the rest of the Cullen family, rescue Bella before James can kill her. To Edward's horror, Bella begins to feel like her hand is on fire; James had bitten her. The only thing that could be done to save her life was to suck the venom out. Edward is the only one who can do so as the others would find it too hard to finish. To his, and Bella's amazement he is able to stop after sucking the poison out.
James is subsequently ripped apart and burned by Emmett Cullen and Jasper Hale, Edward's brothers. Bella is then taken to a hospital in Phoenix, where she recovers from the attack. The story they choose to give Bella's parents is that she fell down two flights of stairs and through a window in a hotel, using her clumsiness to cover up for what really happened to her.
Once returning to Forks, Bella goes to the prom with Edward, where she expresses her desire to become a vampire, which Edward refuses to let happen. The book ends with neither of them refusing to budge, but as deeply in love as ever.
When Bella sits next to Edward Cullen in biology class on her first day of school, Edward seems utterly repulsed. Edward is stunningly attractive, and inhumanly beautiful, yet he is an outsider too. He moves as far away from her as possible. He even attempts to change his schedule to avoid her, which leaves Bella completely puzzled about his attitude towards her. Shortly after he disappears for a while, Edward begins to talk to Bella, having seemingly forgotten their unfriendly first encounter. One day, Bella looks at Edward, who is far away, in the parking lot. Oblivious to her, a student (Tyler Crowley) had lost control of his vehicle, and it was rapidly progressing in her direction. Bella realizes this at the last moment, thinking she is dead. However, Edward appears and stops the oncoming car completely with one hand, leaving a dent, and shocking Bella with his speed and strength.
During a trip to the La Push reservation, Bella tricks a family friend, Jacob Black of the Quileute tribe, into telling her the local tribal legends and she finds out why, although the Cullens have lived in Forks for two years, they have never really been accepted by the townsfolk. Jacob mentions the Cullens, and says that most of the reservation believes that they are vampires, though he doesn't think so. During a trip to Port Angeles, Edward rescues her again, this time from a band of serial rapists and killers. Bella asks him if what Jacob said about his family is true. Edward admits that he and his family are vampires, but says that he and his family only drink animal blood to keep themselves from turning into the monsters that many other vampires are.
Edward and Bella's relationship grows over time, and they fall passionately in love. Their foremost problem is that to Edward, Bella's scent is a hundred times more potent than any other human's, making Edward struggle to resist his desire to kill her. However, despite this they manage to stay together safely for a time.
The seemingly perfect state of their relationship is thrown into chaos when another vampire coven sweeps into Forks and James, a tracker vampire, decides that he wants to hunt Bella for sport. Edward's family plan to distract the tracker by splitting up Bella and Edward, and Bella is sent to hide in a hotel in Phoenix. Bella then gets a phone call from James in which he says that he has her mother, and Bella is forced to give herself up to James at her old ballet studio. Upon meeting him, Bella discovers her mother wasn't at the dance studio and was safe all along. James attacks Bella, but Edward, along with the rest of the Cullen family, rescue Bella before James can kill her. To Edward's horror, Bella begins to feel like her hand is on fire; James had bitten her. The only thing that could be done to save her life was to suck the venom out. Edward is the only one who can do so as the others would find it too hard to finish. To his, and Bella's amazement he is able to stop after sucking the poison out.
James is subsequently ripped apart and burned by Emmett Cullen and Jasper Hale, Edward's brothers. Bella is then taken to a hospital in Phoenix, where she recovers from the attack. The story they choose to give Bella's parents is that she fell down two flights of stairs and through a window in a hotel, using her clumsiness to cover up for what really happened to her.
Once returning to Forks, Bella goes to the prom with Edward, where she expresses her desire to become a vampire, which Edward refuses to let happen. The book ends with neither of them refusing to budge, but as deeply in love as ever.