In the beginning of the eukaryotic cell cycle, the cell grows and duplicates its DNA (genetic material). This is the key part of the cell cycle known as Interphase, and it's broken down into three stages:

* G1 (Gap 1): The cell grows and synthesizes proteins and organelles.

* S (Synthesis): The cell replicates its DNA, creating two identical copies of each chromosome.

* G2 (Gap 2): The cell continues to grow and prepares for mitosis or meiosis (the process of cell division).

After interphase, the cell proceeds to either mitosis (for regular cell growth and repair) or meiosis (for sexual reproduction) where the duplicated DNA is separated into two daughter cells.