Peeta expresses his love for Katniss, setting up the idea of "star-crossed lovers from District 12." Katniss is furious, but Haymitch approves. "It's a television show," he says, "and being in love with that boy might just get you sponsors which could save your damn life."

After being raised into the arena in sealed tubes, the tributes have to wait sixty seconds before leaving their platforms or they will be blown up.

The District 8 male tribute lasts approximately 9 seconds. He rushes the Cornucopia for supplies and has his throat slashed by Marvel.

Most of the twenty-four tributes die in the initial bloodbath. Only eleven, including the Careers, survive the first day.

Katniss tries to stay away from the others, but Seneca Crane, the Head Gamemaker, triggers a forest fire to drive her towards them. She runs into the Careers, with whom Peeta has seemingly allied, and flees up a tree.

Peeta advises the Careers to wait her out. The next morning, Katniss notices Rue, District 11's young female tribute, hiding in an adjacent tree. Rue draws her attention to a nest of tracker jackers, genetically modified poisonous wasps. Using a knife, Katniss saws off the branch holding the nest, causing it to fall on the Careers sleeping below. Glimmer dies, but the others escape.

Katniss takes the bow and arrows from Glimmer's corpse, but having been stung by tracker jackers herself, she begins to hallucinate. Peeta returns and tells her to flee.

Katniss devises a plan with Rue, who will act as a decoy, lighting three fires, each drawing the careers further away from the camp site. Rue manages to light the first two fires but stumbles into a trap before she can light the third.

Marvel arrives just as Katniss is freeing Rue from the trap. She shoots an arrow through his heart, but not before he spears rue in the abdomen, killing her

Katniss sings to Rue as she dies, then covers her with flowers. Before she leaves, she salutes District 11, triggering a riot against the Capitol's "Peacekeepers".