Narrated by the unknown, omniscient blogger "Gossip Girl" , the series revolves around the lives of privileged upper-class adolescents living in Manhattan's Upper East Side (UES). The series begins with the return of Upper East Side teenage "it girl" Serena van der Woodsen from a mysterious absence. She is reunited with her frenemy Blair Waldorf and her mother Lily , and she also meets Dan Humphrey—an aspiring writer from Brooklyn who is one of Serena's main love interests throughout the show. Other main characters include Nate Archibald , Chuck Bass , Jenny Humphrey , Vanessa Abrams , Rufus Humphrey and Ivy Dickens.