Carmilla is a Gothic novella in which a young woman named Laura details her relationship with a vampire in the form of a young woman named Carmilla. The first event that Laura details in the novella is an episode from her childhood: a six-year-old Laura is attempting to sleep when she is visited by a mysterious young lady (later revealed to be the vampire Carmilla, or at least a representation of Carmilla) who bites her on her breast. The narration then jumps forward thirteen years. Laura's father receives a letter from his friend, General Spielsdorf, wherein the General reveals that his ward Bertha has died. The General implies that a monster of some sort has killed Bertha.