Katniss struggles with being forced to rest while District 12 suffers and while she keeps thinking about District 13 and rebellion. When her prep team arrives early for a Capitol bridal photo shoot, Katniss endures the grooming and listens more carefully than usual to their complaints. Because seafood, electronics, and fabric have been hard to get, Katniss concludes that Districts 4, 3, and 8 are likely in revolt, and the idea of widespread rebellion both frightens and thrills her.

The photo shoot itself turns Katniss into a Capitol spectacle. Cinna quietly covers the scar on her face, Effie keeps the elaborate session moving, and Katniss is posed in six different wedding looks until she is exhausted. Seeing how much effort the Capitol is spending on the wedding makes Prim and Katniss's mother think Katniss may be safe, but Katniss does not trust that conclusion.

After a nightmare about being hunted by muttation tributes, Katniss goes out at dawn looking for someone to confide in. She finds Haymitch, tells him about Bonnie and Twill, the electrified fence, the possible survival of District 13, and the shortages she has noticed. Haymitch adds rumors of uprisings in Districts 7 and 11, but he argues that District 12 is too small and weak to rebel successfully right now and dismisses District 13 as a desperate rumor. He warns that if rebellion spreads, the Capitol could destroy another district to make an example of it.

That evening, District 12 is required to watch Capitol programming. Katniss sees a flashy wedding special built around her gowns and public voting, which deepens her dread about how the Capitol is using her image. Then President Snow begins the ceremony for the third Quarter Quell, explains the cruel twists of the previous Quarter Quells, and announces that the seventy-fifth Hunger Games will reap tributes from the existing pool of victors.

At first Katniss is confused by the wording, but she quickly understands what it means for District 12. There are only three living victors there, and Katniss is the only female one. The chapter ends with Katniss realizing with certainty that she is going back into the arena.