Ep 1. Four Months Later...

Four months have passed since the explosive events of the first season finale of Heroes. The show picks up with a much darker, post-apocalyptic feel. The world has changed tremendously and each character is adapting in their own way.

Hiro Nakamura finds himself in medieval Japan, his time-traveling antics having gone awry. He doesn't seem so concerned though, as he is enjoying himself being a warrior and saving a young woman from harm. Meanwhile, Peter Petrelli is missing, with no one being able to find him. The search leads his brother Nathan, who has just won political office, to seek help from his estranged wife, Heidi.

Claire Bennet is back in her cheerleading uniform but everything seems different. Her father, HRG, is on the run and she and her family are living in a different town under new identities. Her boyfriend Zach is gone, and she is attending a new school with her new friend, West.

Mohinder Suresh is picking up where his father left off, with his own lab and new research into powers. He is trying to find a way to stop the virus that was unleashed in the finale, the virus that creates people like him and others with powers.

Meanwhile, Niki Sanders is in a mental institution, trying to suppress the evil alter-ego that possesses her. New character Maya is introduced; a woman who can turn people to stone with only her tears.

Overall, it is a much darker and dramatic tone to the season. Series creator Tim Kring has described the second season as more character driven and less action-packed, setting up strong foundations for future storylines.