After graduating from Sunnydale High, Cordelia moved to LA to become an actress. She met up with Angel and began working for him,  helping him in his quest to redemption. She was even about to start a relationship with Doyle, who also worked for Angel, but Doyle sacrificed his life in order to save a group of demons. In his final kiss with Cordy he passed along his gift - to receive the visions sent by the Powers that Be.
Now Angel's link to the Powers That Be, and joined by Wesley in their crusade against evil, Cordelia has evolved from the self-centred rich-girl into a caring and resourceful aide in their fight against evil in LA. Not deterred by a violent poltergeist, she moved in to her dream apartment and accepted it's resident ghost (the murdered son of the poltergeist) who in his turn became her protector at home. She almost lost her sanity when overwhelmed by visions as the result of a demonic curse, but has accepted her fate as messenger in Angel's quest for redemption. Still somewhat naive, and permanently star-struck, Cordelia has made some errors of judgement and found herself in some tight spots, but in the end has stayed steadfastly true to the cause, even giving Angel a hard time when he lost his direction. She tasted life as royalty in another dimension, but gave up her chance of love and power to return to the real world with her allies to fight the good fight.