At the end of Season 1, Starling city suffered a huge loss and so did Oliver Queen. Learning from his mistakes, Oliver decides to change his methods even while honouring his promises to his friend. Meanwhile a new enemy from his past resurfaces to make life difficult for Oliver.

Life hasn't been the same for Elena since the tragic death of her parents, but she tries to pick up the pieces and provide support for her troubled younger brother, Jeremy. On her first day back at Mystic Falls High School, Elena meets the mysterious new guy, Stefan, and the two seeming lost souls form an instant connection. What Elena doesn't know, however, is that Stefan is a vampire, constantly resisting the urge to taste her blood. But Stefan, it seems, has a greater evil to deal with when his dangerous older brother, Damon, shows up to wreak havoc on the town of Mystic Falls — and claim Elena for himself.

Oliver Queen returns to Starling city after being deserted on a hellish island for five years. He decides to become a mask wearing vigilante to fulfil his father's wishes and rid the city of crime. In his journey to do so, he is forced to make tough decisions even as he makes new friends and even more enemies which continue question his lethal ways of controlling crime.