Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up in a afterlife utopia called the "Good Place", where she is welcomed by the neighborhood's architect Michael.
All humans are assigned a numerical score based on the morality of their conduct in life, and only those with the very highest scores are sent to the Good Place (Heaven); all others experience an eternity of torture in the "Bad Place" (Hell).
Michael praises Eleanor for being a lawyer who helped innocent people off death row, then escorts her to a home designed to her preferences where she can access memories from her life.
She is also paired with a soulmate: Chidi, a Senegalese ethics professor. Eleanor tells Chidi that all of Michael's information about her is someone else's.
Eleanor made a living by knowingly selling a worthless supplement to the sick and elderly and was crass and uncaring.
Chidi has a moral crisis over whether or not to help Eleanor, who becomes frustrated and angry at a party hosted by her neighbors, soulmates Tahani and Jianyu.
The next morning, the neighborhood is attacked by representations of elements from Eleanor's life and her misbehavior in the Good Place.