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.
