Catching Fire Summary: Plot, Characters and Ending
In Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games with Peeta, but her defiance has sparked unrest across Panem. President Snow announces a special Quarter Quell in which past victors must fight again, and Katniss and Peeta are sent back into the arena.
It is the second book of The Hunger Games trilogy.
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Katniss Everdeen | Victor from District 12 |
| Peeta Mellark | Her fellow victor |
| Gale Hawthorne | Katniss's hunting partner |
| President Snow | Ruler of Panem |
| Haymitch Abernathy | Their mentor |
| Finnick Odair | Charming victor from District 4 |
| Johanna Mason | Fierce victor from District 7 |
| Beetee and Wiress | Clever victors from District 3 |
| Plutarch Heavensbee | New Head Gamemaker |
| Cinna | Katniss's stylist |
What does President Snow want?
Before the Victory Tour, President Snow visits Katniss and warns that her trick with the berries looked like rebellion. She must convince everyone that she acted out of love for Peeta, or her family and Gale will suffer. On the tour, a speech by Katniss in District 11 sparks protest, and an old man is executed. Peeta proposes on television. Back home, Gale is whipped by a new head Peacekeeper.
↑ Back to the topWhat is the Quarter Quell?
Every twenty-five years the Games have a twist. This time the tributes are chosen from existing victors. Katniss is the only female victor from District 12, and Peeta volunteers in place of Haymitch. Before the Games, Cinna's design turns Katniss's wedding dress into a mockingjay costume on live television, and he is beaten and taken away in front of her.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens in the arena?
The arena is a jungle around a salt lake. Katniss and Peeta ally with Finnick and old Mags, later Johanna, Beetee and Wiress. They survive a poison fog, in which Mags walks into the fog to save the others, and monkey attacks. Wiress realizes the arena is a clock, each hour bringing a new danger. Beetee plans to run a wire from a lightning tree into the lake.
↑ Back to the topHow does Katniss break the arena?
When the plan falls apart, Katniss remembers who the real enemy is. She ties the wire to an arrow and shoots it into the force field at the moment lightning strikes. The arena's dome explodes, and Katniss is knocked unconscious.
↑ Back to the topHow does Catching Fire end?
Katniss wakes aboard a hovercraft. Haymitch, Plutarch and several tributes had been planning all along to break her out; she is the symbol of the rebellion. They are heading to District 13, thought destroyed years ago. Peeta and Johanna were captured by the Capitol. Gale tells her that District 12 has been firebombed and no longer exists, though he got her family out.
↑ Back to the topMore about Catching Fire
This summary reveals the whole plot, including the ending.