Carmilla is a Gothic novella about Laura, a lonely young woman in an Austrian castle who forms an intense, unhealthy friendship with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla, a female vampire who gradually torments Laura with nightmares and a debilitating illness. The story culminates in the discovery that Carmilla is the ancient vampire Milara Karnstein. She is eventually hunted down and killed by General Spielsdorf and his men, saving Laura from further predatory attacks.