Boggs returns from a call with President Coin visibly angry and immediately orders Jackson to keep Peeta under constant guard. Away from the others, Boggs tells Katniss that Coin sees her as a political threat because the war is nearing its end and Katniss could influence who rules afterward. He says Coin no longer needs Katniss as the rebellion’s symbol and might benefit more from her death as a martyr, but he promises to keep her alive.

Katniss returns to camp frustrated and directs her anger at Peeta. Jackson initially refuses to place Katniss on guard duty because she doubts Katniss could shoot him, but Boggs overrules her. Gale notices Katniss has been preparing to desert and offers to go with her. During dinner, Katniss realizes the squad blames her for provoking Peeta, and Haymitch confirms this in a phone call, reminding her that Peeta is acting under hijacking and that she had promised to help save him.

That night, while on watch with Jackson, Katniss sees Peeta trying to tie knots with Finnick’s rope. Peeta bitterly comments on Katniss’s uncertainty about him, then admits he can no longer tell what is real. Encouraged by Finnick and the others, Peeta begins asking questions. Katniss finally offers small, personal truths about him and herself, including his favorite color, his habits, and his talents, taking a first step toward helping him recover.

The next morning, Jackson organizes a "Real or Not Real" game so Peeta can test his memories against the squad’s answers. Gale and Finnick help supply facts from District 12 and the Hunger Games, while Katniss struggles through the more emotionally loaded questions about their shared past. Although the process is painful, Katniss recognizes that helping Peeta separate truth from Capitol lies is necessary and meaningful.

The following afternoon, Squad 451 is assigned to stage a more exciting propo on a residential block rigged with active pods. Before filming begins, Peeta recognizes Pollux as an Avox and recounts that Darius and Lavinia, two captured Avoxes he knew, were tortured to death in front of him in prison; Boggs confirms that the memory is real. Shaken, the squad proceeds with the staged mission, laughing at the artificiality of their dramatic poses, until Boggs steps onto an orange paving stone and triggers a hidden bomb that blows off his legs.