This series takes place in the town of Storybrooke, Maine. The inhabitants of the town are fairytale characters who have been placed in an alternate universe where they cannot remember  their lives in the Enchanted forest because of a powerful curse placed upon them by the Evil Queen. Each episode has two storylines which run parallel with each other, one taking place in Storybrooke, the other in the Enchanted Forest.

 

Each episode explores the characters' past and offers insight into each of them and how their lives intertwine. What is interesting is how the scenes bounce back and forth between present day Storybrooke and the fairy tale Enchanted Forest; drawing parallels between the storylines of the characters in each.