Katniss is in a hallucinatory state for two days and all her fears become real to her. She comes out of it weak, sore, and dehydrated. She doesn't know if Peeta is alive or how many tributes have died since the tracker wasp attack. She is heartened to spot the bow and arrows she took off Glimmer's body, because she knows she can use it to kill both tributes and animals.

As she is cooking her dinner, she hears a twig snap and sees Rue's boot sticking out from behind a tree. Katniss call out to Rue, asking her to align with her against the other tributes. Rue is nervous at first, because she thinks Katniss might be trying to lure her into the open to kill her. After a bit of coaxing from Katniss, she agrees to join her.

Rue brings knowledge of the flora and fauna in the arena, which is helpful in staying alive. She has some leaves, which alleviate the pain of the tracker wasp stings. She also tells Katniss the sunglasses are to help her see in the dark, which is useful information. Rue informs Katniss Peeta is no longer with the Careers and two tributes died in the tracker wasp attack.

Katniss begins to formulate a plan. She wonders what would happen to the Careers if someone stole their food.

The alliance with Rue makes Katniss realize just how lonely she has been in the arena. They talk together as they eat their breakfast, finding out who is still alive and learning about each other's lives.

Rue loves music and uses it to convey messages to the other workers in the orchards of District 11. She sings a four-note tune, which the mockingjays repeat to the other workers, it is their signal the working day is done. She teaches the notes to Katniss, telling her if she hears a mockingjay sing the song it means she cannot get back to her right away.

They decide Rue will light some fires to draw the Careers away from their camp, which will give Katniss an opportunity to destroy their supplies. Katniss finds the camp, but is puzzled by how the supplies are laid out in a circle around the camp with some piled into a pyramid shape. Then she spots Foxface, another tribute, doing a complicated dance-like movement to reach the supplies. Katniss realizes the area is mined. She uses her arrows to tear a hole in a bag holding apples and then shoots through the rope holding the bag. The falling apples cause an explosion which blows her into the air.

Katniss tries to run away from the camp, but can't because she is too dizzy to walk. She has another problem-she can't hear either. Panic begins to settle in, but she gathers herself enough to crawl to a grouping of small trees. She reaches them just as Cato reaches the camp. He is enraged and he takes out his anger by killing the boy who set the mines. His anger terrifies Katniss, so she stays hidden where she is.

The next morning the dizziness has passed and she has regained the hearing in her right ear. She makes her way back to the rendezvous point to meet Rue, but she is not there. Katniss decides to wait for the girl, but after a while she becomes concerned about her.

She begins searching for Rue, starting with the site of the third fire Rue was to start. Katniss finds the wood ready to light, but no sign of Rue. Then she hears the mockingjay singing the song Rue taught her. This mean Rue is all right, then Katniss hears a scream. She knows it is Rue screaming. She rushes to find her, even though she knows she is probably running into a trap. She hears Rue calling her name and arrives to see her reaching her hand through a net, saying her name, just before a spear impales Rue.

Katniss shoots an arrow into the neck of the boy from District 1, who impaled Rue. He dies, but Rue is still holding on to life. She asks Katniss to sing her a song. Katniss sings a lullaby she learned long ago, as she watches Rue die.

In an act of defiance, Katniss decorates Rue's body with flowers to shame the Capitol. Even if they don't show her decorating the body, they will show Rue's body being picked up by the hovercraft.

As she is packing up her backpack along with Rue's and the District 1 boy's backpack, a silver parachute holding a loaf of bread floats down to her. It is from the people of District 11, Rue's district, they are showing their appreciation for what she has done for Rue.

Before Rue died Katniss promised she would win the Games for both of them. She is determined to make good on this promise. Katniss is also struck with the knowledge the boy is her first kill. It upsets her at first, but then she remembers Rue and wipes thoughts of him from her mind.

As she is settling down to sleep, Katniss hears the anthem being played and sees Rue and the boy's faces displayed in the sky. This lets everyone know who died this day, then trumpets sound and a new rule is announced. If the two tributes from the same district are the last survivors, then they both will be named winners. Katniss calls out for Peeta, after hearing this news.

Katniss and Rue form an alliance, but more importantly they form a friendship. This is cut short by Rue's death, which takes Katniss from survivor to avenger. She is going to make Cato and the Capitol pay for Rue's demise. Also the new rule gives Katniss hope that both she and Peeta can win the Games.