1 • Sleep of the Just
While attempting to apprehend a
nightmare known as the
Corinthian,
Morpheus, also known as Dream, is captured in an occult ritual by British aristocrat Roderick Burgess, who was attempting to capture
Death. Roderick steals Morpheus's totems of power: his
helm, a pouch of sand, and a
ruby; all of which are eventually taken by Roderick's resentful lover Ethel Cripps, who is pregnant with Roderick's child.
Morpheus's imprisonment causes an epidemic of "sleepy sickness" which lasts for 106 years. In 2021, Roderick's son, Alex, is an old man who continues to keep Morpheus imprisoned and is cared for by his partner, Paul. After Paul "accidentally" erases part of the runes keeping Morpheus bound, Morpheus reaches into the dream of one of his guards to destroy his cage, allowing him to escape, condemning Alex to an eternal sleep.
2 • Imperfect Hosts
Morpheus returns to the
Dreaming, his kingdom and the source of dreams. There, he finds his palace in ruins due to his prolonged absence. Morpheus visits
Cain and Abel, a pair of dysfunctional brothers, to retrieve their pet gargoyle Gregory, which will restore his power enough to summon the Fates. Morpheus successfully summons the Fates who inform him of the whereabouts of his equipment; the pouch of sand is in the possession of exorcist Johanna Constantine, his helm in the hands of a
demon in
Hell, and the ruby used by Ethel's son
John Dee. Morpheus sets off on his quest to retrieve his items with assistance from his advisor Matthew the Raven. Back in the Dreaming, Morpheus sends a baby Gargoyle to Cain and Abel to replace their previous companion.
3 • Dream a little dream of me
Morpheus tracks down Constantine, asking for the return of his pouch. However, Constantine remembers that she left it at her ex-girlfriend's apartment. They team up to track down the girlfriend whose home has been warped by the abuse of the powder. Constantine exorcises to cure the girlfriend of her addiction but is left distraught when Morpheus is reluctant to put her down.
Seeing Constantine's guilt, Morpheus finally agrees to put her ex-girlfriend to rest before departing. Meanwhile, Ethel, whose life has been prolonged by a protection amulet, travels to an institution in
Buffalo, New York, to visit John, who has a dark obsession with Morpheus's ruby. She passes the protection amulet to John, immediately ages and dies. John then uses the amulet's powers to escape the institution.
4 • A Hope in Hell
To retrieve his helm, Morpheus descends into Hell where he meets
Lucifer Morningstar, the realm's ruler. He finds the demon with the helm, but in order to get it back, the demon challenges Morpheus to a game of wits. Morpheus chooses to represent himself in the challenge, but the demon chooses Lucifer as his champion. Morpheus eventually wins the challenge by invoking hope, a concept which Lucifer recognizes as unbeatable, and is able to regain the helm. Before he leaves, Lucifer promises to one day kill Morpheus.
John is offered assistance by a good Samaritan and retrieves the ruby, but not before Morpheus discovers its whereabouts and the fact that John has altered the item to attune to his own wishes and nobody else's. John passes the protection amulet to his terrified rescuer, deciding that he no longer needs it.
5 • 24/7
John, now in possession of the ruby, takes refuge in a local
diner. There, he uses the ruby’s power to prevent the patrons and staff (and the world at large, shown via the television) from being able to lie, eventually driving them to murder each other or commit suicide. Morpheus arrives and transports John to the realm of dreams, where John appears to use the ruby's power to defeat Morpheus. Crushing the ruby in his hand, John exults in his victory, before Morpheus reveals himself and tells him that by destroying the ruby, its power was released back into its true master, Morpheus. Taking pity on John, Morpheus returns him to the institution, seemingly in a state of long-term sleep. Elsewhere, Morpheus's sibling
Desire plots against him.
6 • The Sound of Her Wings
Morpheus, now aimless after obtaining his tools, is visited by his sister, Death, and accompanies her as she escorts the deceased to the afterlife. Death attempts to show Morpheus the possibility of finding purpose and fulfillment in his duties as ruler of the Dreaming. In a flashback to the Middle Ages, Morpheus and Death visit a tavern where they encounter Hob Gadling, a commoner who vocally wishes to never die.
Death agrees to spare Gadling for as long as he wishes. Hob and Morpheus continue to meet each other once every century. Hob maintains that no matter which turns his life takes, he still does not wish for death. Hob hypothesizes that Morpheus continues to meet with him because he is lonely and friendless, which greatly offends Morpheus. Due to Morpheus's capture by Burgess, he is unable to attend his regular meeting with Hob. When their usual location is sold, Hob chooses a new tavern a block away, hoping that Morpheus will find him. The two reunite in present day. Elsewhere, Desire continues their plans.
7 • The Doll's House
In 2015,
Rose Walker and her brother
Jed are separated when their parents divorce. In 2021, following the death of both parents, Jed is placed in the foster home system, despite Rose's attempts to locate him and claim legal guardianship. Rose is unknowingly a Vortex, a being who naturally attracts and manipulates dreams, and Desire and their twin sister Despair conspire to use Rose against Morpheus.
Aware of Rose's nature, Morpheus plans to use her to track three errant residents of the Dreaming who are still at large. Rose and her friend Lyta Hall travel to England to meet Unity Kincaid, a wealthy recovered victim of sleep sickness. Unity reveals that she is Rose's biological great-grandmother. Unity offers to fund Rose's search for Jed, and Rose and Lyta travel to Florida. Unable to locate Jed in either the Dreaming or the waking world, Lucienne and Morpheus deduce that the rogue dream Gault has severed Jed's consciousness from the Dreaming. Rose approaches Lucienne and Morpheus in the Dreaming for assistance in finding Jed. Meanwhile, the Corinthian, hunting for Rose, is invited as the guest of honor for a serial killer convention.
8 • Playing House
Despite Lucienne's protests, Morpheus agrees to help Rose locate Jed. During the day, Rose and the other guests at the bed-and-breakfast post signs around
Cape Kennedy, which attracts the attention of the Corinthian. That night, Morpheus and Rose travel through the dreams of the guests, eventually crossing into Jed's dreams, which Gault has manipulated to provide an emotional escape from Jed's abusive foster father. Morpheus rebukes and punishes Gault for stepping outside her duties, though Gault maintains that she disobeyed because she believed it was in Jed's best interest. Meanwhile, Lyta seemingly reunites with her deceased husband Hector in the Dreaming. Hector attempts to convince Lyta to stay in the Dreaming and have a baby with him, and when Lyta wakes up, she is visibly pregnant. The Corinthian locates Jed and murders his foster parents, kidnapping Jed to lure Rose to the serial killer convention.
9 • Collectors
Lucienne and Matthew deduce that Lyta's pregnancy is the result of Rose's increasing power, which threatens to break the barriers between the Dreaming and the waking world. The Corinthian calls Rose with Jed, sharing their location at the "cereal convention." Rose travels to the hotel to meet them, accompanied by Gilbert, a fellow guest at Hal's B&B and a self-styled "gentleman."
Lyta continues to meet Hector in her dreams, and finds that her pregnancy is advancing at a rapid rate. Morpheus notices increasing damage to the Dreaming, which Lucienne attributes to Rose, though Morpheus is unsure of her theory. Morpheus finds Lyta and Hector in the Dreaming and realizes that the Vortex has allowed Hector's spirit to inhabit the Dreaming, in lieu of him passing on to the afterlife. Morpheus banishes Hector from the Dreaming and informs Lyta that her unborn child will one day belong to him, as it was conceived in the Dreaming. Rose and Gilbert arrive at the hotel and search for Jed. While searching, the Corinthian and Gilbert recognize each other, causing Gilbert to flee to the Dreaming, where he is revealed to be a personified Fiddler’s Green, one of the other rogue Dreaming residents. Gilbert relays the Corinthian and Rose's location to Morpheus.
10 • Lost Hearts
Morpheus interrupts the Corinthian's keynote speech to the serial killer convention, but the Corinthian shows Morpheus that Rose's power enables him to defend himself against his creator. Morpheus informs Rose of the great danger she poses to the waking world, prompting Rose to temporarily restore the Dreaming and allowing Morpheus to unmake the Corinthian. Morpheus punishes the convention attendees with clarity about their crimes, allowing Rose and Jed to leave unharmed.
That night, Rose confronts Morpheus in the Dreaming. Rose is ready to sacrifice herself to save her friends and brother, but Unity joins them in the Dreaming and convinces Rose to transfer the Vortex into her, allowing Morpheus to end her life. Morpheus realizes that Desire impregnated Unity to pass the Vortex to her descendant, in an attempt to have Morpheus spill family blood. Morpheus confronts Desire, warning them against further schemes. Morpheus remakes Gault as a good dream, and endeavors to act as a more benevolent ruler of the Dreaming. In the waking world, Lyta gives birth to a son, and moves with Rose, Jed, and Hal back to New Jersey. After being reproached by the Dukes of Hell, Lucifer ponders revenge on Morpheus.
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