It is the year 1792, and Dracula is revived by the Dark Priest Shaft.
After building up his dark forces, he sets out to destroy the village inhabited by 19-year-old Richter Belmont, heir to the Vampire Killer whip. Moreover, Dracula's minions kidnap Richter's 17-year-old girlfriend named Annette, Annette's younger sister (a 12-year-old vampire huntress named Maria Renard), and two other local villagers; a nun known as Tera, and Iris, the daughter of the village doctor. Wielding the whip of his ancestors, Richter heads off toward Castlevania.