Katniss is mad at herself for calling out Peeta's name, because it might allow the others to find her. She resolves to find Peeta the next day.

She starts out carefully the next morning, sure the other tributes will be setting traps for her. She knows District 12 is expecting her to find Peeta. The rule change is to insure she and Peeta, the star-crossed lovers, can survive the Games together. She tries to determine where Peeta might be hiding and feels he is probably near the stream.

She carefully searches the stream, but doesn't see him. The only area she has not yet searched, is a portion of the stream lined with large rocks. As she walks through this section, she hears a voice asking her "You here to finish me off, sweetheart?". The voice is Peeta, who has camouflaged himself so well, he can only be seen if he opens his eyes or smiles.

Katniss tells him she is here to work with him and make sure they both survive the Games. Peeta is very badly hurt and running a fever. He is weak, hasn't eaten for days, and the gash Cato inflicted on his left thigh is infected. Katniss isn't sure how to treat his wounds, but using burn cream, the leaves Rue showed her, and a first aid kit she manages to give him some relief.

She then moves him to a cave, to conceal him and let him rest. Haymitch sends Peeta a bowl of broth, instead of medicine, which Katniss interprets to mean she needs to play up the romance she and Peeta supposedly have. She brings the broth to Peeta, waking him with a kiss, showing him the broth.

It takes an hour for Peeta to consume the broth. Katniss is just about ready to climb up a tree to sleep for the night, when she realizes she can't leave Peeta. He is defensless, so she stays by his side, but after a while she becomes sleepy and cold. She climbs into the sleeping bag with him. The heat she feels radiating from him makes her realize his fever is very high. She spends the rest of the night putting wet bandage strips on his head. The next morning his fever has broken.

Peeta is worried, because upon awakening he realizes Katniss is not in the cave. She returns soon after he wakes up and he tells her the girl from District 2 is named Clover. She and Cato are from the same district.

Peeta claims to be feeling better and insists Katniss sleep for a while. He lets her sleep until the afternoon. She checks his temperature; which has gone back up. Then she looks at the wound on his leg, it is worse than before, there are red steaks are crawling up his leg. This indicates blood poisoning has set in, which can kill him.

Katniss and Peeta know he might not survive. That evening Claudius Templesmith makes an announcement, there will be a feast at the Cornucopia, which will also include backpacks containing something each district desperately needs.

Peeta demands to go along with Katniss to the feast or else she must promise to stay in the cave. He wants to accompany her because the feast is dangerous, as it brings all the tributes together, increasing the odds of being killed. After Katniss agrees to stay in the cave, Haymitch sends her a vial of sleeping syrup. She gives it to Peeta in some mashed berries. He realizes too late, she has tricked him.

Katniss does her best to camouflage the entrance to the cave. She covers the mouth of the cave with rocks, leaving an opening for her to crawl through. She then strips Peeta of his jacket, takes her weapons, and heads into the woods on her way to the Cornucopia. She waits there for the sun to rise, to see what the other tributes will do once the backpacks are displayed.

After waiting a while, a table holding the backpacks rises from the ground. Foxface runs to the table from inside the Cornucopia to take her backpack. This move surprises Katniss, she begins to think Foxface might be a more formidable opponent than she thought.

Katniss runs to take her backpack, which is a small orange backpack that fits on her arm. As she is running towards the table, a knife whizzes by her and she deflects it with her bow. Then, while she is picking up the orange pack, a second knife hits her in the temple, causing a gash over her right eyebrow. This attack is followed by Clove body slamming her to the ground. Katniss thinks she is going to die and hopes for Prim's sake Clove kills her quickly. Clove has other ideas, she wants to slowly kill Katniss, starting by cutting up her lips.

Clove tells Katniss she is going to kill her just like Rue was killed. This is the undoing of Clove, for Thrasher hears her and pulls Clove off Katniss. He is from the same district as Rue and wants to avenge her death. He slams Clove to the ground and hits her in the head with a rock. This is a fatal blow.

He decides to allow Katniss to live, because she tried to help Rue, but he warns her he would only spare her this one time.

Back at the cave, Katniss discovers a hypodermic needle in the orange pack, injects Peeta with it and passes out.

Katniss and Peeta are reunited, but Peeta is gravely ill. The wound he received from being cut by Cato has turned into blood poisoning. Katniss must summon all her knowledge and courage to deal with his wounds. She secures the necessary medicine to save his life, but at the cost of being injured herself. Katniss realizes she needs to be stronger than she ever thought she could be, for her and Peeta to survive the Hunger Games.