The series itself follows Buffy Summers, a teenaged vampire-slayer who moves to Sunnydale with her mother in the series premiere. During her high school years (seasons 1–3), she forms strong friendships with fellow school students, Willow and Xander, and her Watcher, Giles, who is the school librarian. Together, the “Scooby Gang” assist Buffy in her slaying duties. By Season Four, Buffy has begun attending the local college, UC-Sunnydale, and the series takes a turn as Buffy and her friends begin navigating the complexities of early adulthood. The premise of the show is the ongoing tension between Buffy’s desire to be normal and her responsibilities as the Slayer.
Hush begins with Buffy sitting in her psychology class while her professor, Dr. Walsh, delivers a lecture on the difference between language and communication. She falls asleep and dreams that she and Riley, the TA, kiss as part of Dr. Walsh’s demonstration to the class. Their kiss is interrupted by a young girl holding a box and singing a rhyme about “The Gentlemen.”* Buffy awakes at the end of class and shares an awkward conversation with Riley. She then calls Giles and tells him of her dream, who in turn advises her that it is probably nothing and to enjoy the unusually quiet period.
Other members of the Gang are caught up in a variety of inane conversations and arguments. Anya and Xander are squabbling, Spike is living on Giles’s couch, and Giles is attempting to make a date with an out-of-town Girlfriend. Willow attends a Wicca meeting, but is disappointed when her attempts to discuss magic are dismissed in favour of the group’s preference to plan a bake sale. Tara, who is shy and struggles to speak, attempts to support Willow, but is quickly silenced by the disapproval of the others.
During the night, a visiting group of fairy-tale like ghouls called The Gentlemen steal the voices of the townsfolk. Depicted as white wisps, these voices are kept in the box Buffy dreamed about the day before. Without their voices, the town is rendered silent, allowing The Gentlemen to cut out the hearts of their victims in silence. The Gentlemen are described as demons who originated from fairy-tales. Dressed in dark suits and accompanied by monkey-like footmen in straight-jackets, The Gentlemen appear to glide instead of walk and have terrifying grimaces on their faces. Their extreme politeness enhances their disturbing behaviour.
The next day, the Gang are distressed by their voicelessness and begin to explore other forms of communication. Civility in Sunnydale begins to erode as panic arises, with looting and public protesting taking place in the town. Street vendors sell writing boards on street corners and the local news declares a public health warning due to severe laryngitis. Giles gives a presentation with visual aides to tell Gang that The Gentlemen require the hearts of seven victims to keep them alive and that the only thing that will kill them is the sound of a human voice.
That night, while everyone hides in their homes hoping that The Gentlemen and their minions will pass by, Buffy is out patrolling. She runs into Riley, who is also patrolling as part of the Initiative, a secret military operation located in Sunnydale. The two share their first kiss and then part.
Tara, who has found a spell that will assist in returning everyone’s voices, leaves her room to seek out Willow. On the way, The Gentlemen find her and chase after her as she bangs desperately on dorm-room doors. Because of the fear caused by the gruesome murder of a student who had fallen victim to the ghouls the night before, nobody answers. Willow, however, hears the commotion from up the hall and runs with Tara to hide in a nearby laundry room. Trying to barricade the door, the two discover that their magic is stronger when working together and they manage to shift a vending machine in place by telekinesis.
Separately, Buffy and Riley make their way to the bell tower where The Gentlemen have the “voice box”. Riley makes his way up the stairs fighting the Minions, while Buffy crashes through a window and joins the fight. The two do not recognise one another until they come face to face. This is a reveal moment, in which they each realise the other fights demons. The fight continues until Buffy becomes pinned down. She sees the box and points it out to Riley. He breaks it and the stolen voices escape. With her voice returned to her, Buffy screams, which causes the heads of The Gentlemen to explode.
The episode ends with two contrasting events the next morning – Tara tells Willow that she has great power, and Buffy and Riley sit and face each other in silence in Buffy’s dorm room.
* “Can’t even shout. Can’t even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by. Looking in windows, knocking on doors. They need to take seven, and they might take yours. Can’t call to Mom. Can’t say a word. You’re gonna die screaming, but you won’t be heard.”
