主人公Rick Grimes是亚特兰大城郊一座小镇的副警长。在执行公务的过程中，Rick遭到枪击，伤势严重，被人紧急送往当地医院进行抢救。当Rick醒来之后，发现医院里已经空无一人。他意识到外面一定出了大事，但又不清楚到底是什么事。 Rick迅速返回家中寻找妻子Lori（Sarah WayneCallies扮演，《越狱》）和儿子Carl，然而他们和邻居全都不见踪影。Rick遭到僵尸的袭击，躲藏在邻居家屋里的一对父子（Morgan和Duane）救下了Rick。他们把「僵尸瘟疫」的真相告诉Rick，同时警告他：要想在僵尸的世界里生存下去，就不能被它们咬伤，甚至不能被他们抓伤，否则会遭到病毒感染，死亡，然后变成「僵尸大军」中的一员。这对父子还解释了僵尸的几种类型，最常见的就是「步行者」－－它们行走缓慢，只要击中头部就能将它们彻底杀死。虽然Rick手里有枪，可是外面的「步行者」那么多，子弹又那么少，他该怎么办呢？ 这对父子还透露了一个重要信息：他的家人可能已经前往政府设立在亚特兰大城的「临时安全区」。带着一丝希望，Rick决定去亚特兰大碰碰运气。首集结束时，Rick在僵尸群中杀开一条血路，骑马来到亚特兰大城外。Rick被另一群僵尸包围，眼看包围圈越来越小…… Hero Grimes Rick is a deputy sheriff of a town in the suburbs of Atlanta. In the process of performing official duties, Rick was shot, seriously injured, was rushed to the local hospital for emergency treatment. When Rick woke up and found the hospital was empty. He realized that there must be a big deal out there, but it's not clear what it is. Rick quickly returned home to find his wife Lori (WayneCallies Sarah play, "prison break") and his son Carl, however, they and all the neighbors are not seen. Rick was a zombie attack, hiding in the house in the neighborhood of a father and son (Morgan and Duane) to save Rick. They put the "zombie plague" Rick told the truth, and warned him: to survive in the zombie world, they will not be bitten, even they can not be scratched, or by virus infection, death, and then become "a zombie army" in the. The father and son also explain the several types of zombies, the most common is the "walking" - they walk slowly, as long as they hit the head will be able to kill them. Although Rick has a gun in his hand, but the outside of the "Walker" so much, the bullet and so little, how should he do? The father and son also revealed an important message: his family may have been to the government to set up a "temporary security zone" in the city of Atlanta. With a glimmer of hope, Rick decided to try his luck in Atlanta. At the end of the first episode, Rick kill to open a way to survive in the zombie, riding to the outside Atlanta. Rick is surrounded by another group of zombies, seeing the smaller and smaller......