首部电影以校园故事为主：莉萨（Lissa）是吸血鬼家族的纯血公主，她拥有极罕见且强大的魔法。她就读于名为圣弗拉米尔的吸血鬼学院，在这里她要时时提防莫里（Moroi）家族的袭击。当然莉萨公主并非孤身一人，她有好朋友萝斯·海瑟薇（Rose Hathaway）和监护人迪米特里（Dimitri）助阵，后者还和她发生了一段浪漫的爱情故事。Rose Hathaway is a dhampir, half-vampire and half-human, who is training to be a guardian at St Vladimir's Academy along with many others like her. There are good and bad vampires in their world: Moroi, who co-exist peacefully among the humans and only take blood from donors, and also possess the ability to control one of the four elements - water, earth, fire or air; and Strigoi, blood-sucking, evil vampires who drink to kill. Rose and other dhampir guardians are trained to protect Moroi and kill Strigoi throughout their education. Along with her best friend, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, a Moroi and the last of her line, with whom she has a nigh unbreakable bond, Rose must run away from St Vladimir's, in order to protect Lissa from those who wish to harm the princess and use her for their own means.