Mockingjay

How it opens

A month after Capitol firebombs leveled District 12, Katniss Everdeen walks through its ashes, on a visit the authorities of District 13 did not want her to make. In her house in the Victor's Village she finds a fresh white rose and is certain President Snow sent it to her. The rebels in District 13 want her to become the Mockingjay, the face of their revolution, while Peeta Mellark is a prisoner of the Capitol. When Peeta appears on Capitol television looking healthy and calling for a cease-fire, Katniss decides that she will be the Mockingjay.

Who you meet early

• Katniss EverdeenKatniss Everdeen was lifted out of the Quarter Quell arena after she shot an arrow into its force field. She now lives in Compartment 307 in District 13 with her mother and sister and is still recovering from a concussion.
• Gale HawthorneGale Hawthorne led the survivors of District 12, more than eight hundred people, into the woods when the bombs fell, and the credit for their escape rests on him. In District 13 he and Katniss have found their way back to being friends.
• Primrose EverdeenPrimrose Everdeen escaped the bombing of District 12 and now lives with Katniss and their mother in District 13. In the woods after the fire, she and her mother set up a medical area for the injured.
• Peeta MellarkPeeta Mellark was taken prisoner by the Capitol when Katniss was lifted out of the arena. None of his family reached District 13 after the bombing.
• Plutarch HeavensbeePlutarch Heavensbee was the Head Gamemaker while secretly organizing the rebels inside the Capitol. Now in District 13, he is one of the people pressing Katniss to become the Mockingjay.
• Alma CoinAlma Coin is the president of District 13, a gray-haired woman who mostly watches in silence while others urge Katniss to become the Mockingjay.
• Caesar FlickermanCaesar Flickerman, the longtime host of the Hunger Games, interviews Peeta on Capitol television in the broadcast where Peeta calls for a cease-fire.