It is November 16, 1983 in Hawkins, Indiana. Inside Hawkins National Laboratory, a scientist bursts out a door, running from something that isn’t there. He runs to the elevator, tapping the floor button repeatedly, looking back and forth. He then gets in and taps the button again. He looks forward then up slowly, as he hears and sees something that we can’t see. He is then pulled up as the elevator doors close,

yelling loudly.We then see the Wheeler residence, as four friends–Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair–play Dungeons & Dragons. We then see that the Demogorgon is played, as Will is pressured to cast Fireball. He rolls the die but it lands on the floor, with the group scrambling for it. Mike is then called by his mother, Nancy, to end the game.

Meanwhile, the trio find it, but it is a 7, as only a 13 or higher can cast a Fireball, which means Will was eaten. Will then leaves, after telling Mike that it was a 7.Will rides his bike through the woods, passing by Hawkins Laboratory. He then sees something weird in front of him, as he accidentally falls down a steep hill and crashes. He then abandons his bike and runs to his house. He unlocks the back door to find nobody home, as the thing out back is probably chasing him. He tries to call his parents, but only weird breathing is heard. Something then unlocks the bolt on the door. Will then runs to the shed in the backyard, where he sees the thing. The light glows brightly and then fades, revealing no one there anymore.

The next morning, November 17, Police Chief Jim Hopper wakes up shirtless. He then walks outside, enjoying the view and then prepares for work, smoking a cigarette. He then leaves.

Will’s mother, Joyce, and his brother, Jonathan, are arguing about if Will ever came home. It is then revealed that both were working; Jonathan took the night shift. Joyce then calls Nancy, and then asks if Will went home, she replies that he left around 8:00. They all conclude, including his friends, that Will probably left to go to school early. As they arrive, the trio are then bullied by Troy, the class bully, and an accomplice. Dustin is then picked on because of his condition, cleidocranial dysplasia, and his ability to flex bone. Lucas and Mike then acknowledge his ability.

Two students, Nancy Wheeler, Mike’s sister, and Barbara Holland, Nancy’s friend, then discuss before school. Right after, Nancy’s boyfriend, Steve, and she start making out in the bathroom. Nancy has to leave, while Steve asks if she would like to go anywhere, but she declines, having to study for her test. He then asks to come over at 8 pm, to which she reluctantly agrees.

Hopper then arrives at the police station. The assistant, Flo, tells Hopper that Joyce can’t find her son. Drunk, he ignores Flo, but goes anyway. He then types a police report on Will, labeling him as “missing.” Joyce and Hopper don’t instantly find a solution, as Joyce is trying to engage with him in a conversation, while Hopper is being unreliable.

Three people then arrive at the Laboratory, where they are greeted by Dr. Martin Brenner, one of the Lab’s key scientists. The four then put on hazmat suits, and go down the elevator to a dark room. While looking, they see black roots and flesh-like substances on the walls. They then come across a giant flesh-root substance on the wall. One of them asks about a girl; Brenner replies, “She can’t have gone far.”

A girl wearing a hospital gown and with a shaved head is then seen walking through the forest, alone. She sees the owner of a restaurant walk out, and decides to go there. She enters without notice, but as soon as she eats the food, the owner comes and tries to stop her, but is surprised. Hawkins Middle School then ends. Dustin, Lucas, and Mike then ask one of the teachers, Scott Clarke, if the Heathkit Ham Shack radio had arrived. He says yes, due to them being prime members of the AV club. A school staff member then asks for them, as they are being questioned for the disappearance of Will. They are told to not investigate, for their safety.

Joyce then goes to look for Will at his fort in the forest, Castle Byers. She then remembers getting him tickets to see the 1982 film Poltergeist. But in reality, he is nowhere there at all. Jonathan is there looking for him as well, both calling out to him. Meanwhile, the restaurant owner feeds the mysterious girl. He asks him if she escaped, to no answer. He then takes the food and asks her for her name, she replies “Eleven” after he asks what the tattoo “011” means. He then gives back the food and calls authorities to identify her. She then sees a fan and consciously stares at it; it stops. also read