Note:
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have settled into a life of material comfort and emotional unease back in District 12 following their joint victory in the 74th Hunger Games. President Snow visits Katniss and explains that her actions in the Games — specifically, her would-be suicide pact with Peeta — have inspired uprisings across Panem. He orders her to use the upcoming Victory Tour to convince him that her actions were out of love and not defiance against the Capitol, warning her that her friends, family, and everyone else in District 12 will otherwise face execution. Katniss’ mentor, Haymitch, later warns her that Victors of the games must serve as mentors to future tributes and that their show of love will be forced to continue for the rest of their lives.
Unrest and protests are on display in many Districts over the course of the Victory Tour, as is brutality by local Peacekeepers. Peeta and Katniss subsequently announce their engagement in an attempt to quell the Districts. At an upper-class party concluding the tour, Snow publicly toasts them but subtly signals to Katniss that he remains unconvinced. During the festivities, Katniss meets enigmatic new head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee. Peacekeepers led by the brutal Commander Romulus Thread begin to mercilessly raid homes and other places throughout District 12, placing the citizens under curfew. Katniss’s friend Gale is publicly whipped after tackling Thread to stop him from killing civilians; he is saved by Katniss and the other victors. Heavensbee tells Snow that the rebellion cannot survive Katniss’ new celebrity status as a victor... |
