Bella asks Edward to train her in fighting. He is hesitant but agrees. They talk about the members of the Volturi. Jane makes people feel immeasurable pain with her mind, while Alec makes people feel nothing at all—taking away their senses and incapacitating them. Demetri is their tracker, which makes it impossible for anyone to run from them. Bella considers that they all have strong mental powers—which may make them weak at fighting hand-to-hand. Because she is resistant to the Cullens’ powers, she considers the possibility that she will be resistant to the Volturi as well. This causes her to consider whether she will be the one who has to personally kill Alec to stop him from incapacitating them all.

The first of the vampires to arrive at the Cullen house is the Denali clan. Edward speaks with them first, with Bella, Jacob, and Renesmee in the other room. He begs them to listen to everything that he has to say before judging them. He has them listen to the heartbeats in the other room.

When Bella brings Renesmee into the room, she is shocked at how afraid Tanya, Eleazar, Carmen, and Kate are. They back away from Renesmee and get defensive; however, Edward begs them to listen to Renesmee’s heartbeat and feel her human heat. Eventually, they calm down, then Carmen steps forward to allow Renesmee to touch her. Renesmee shows each of them her memories, and they realize that Edward is telling the truth.

The Denali clan insists that they are going to stay with Edward and help. He tells them that he just wants them to act as witnesses and try to help the Volturi understand that Renesmee is human. However, Tanya is unsure it will help and promises that they will fight alongside Edward’s family if necessary.

Eleazar discusses Bella’s gift. He tells her that she is a “shield”—as she is protected from the gifts of other vampires. Kate suggests that she try to “project” it onto others, an idea which excites Bella. She realizes that she wants, more than anything else, to be able to protect Edward and the others.

Eleazar also tells them that the Volturi must believe the Cullens are important if they are bringing all their members. Aro never personally travels except when there is something he wants. He tells them about past clans that have been punished for something they’ve done. Typically, there is a member of the clan—with a very strong gift—that he wants. It always made Eleazar wonder if Aro was inventing crimes to acquire the vampires that he wants. Edward points out that he has always coveted Alice’s ability to see the future. Bella hopes that that is why Alice left, to keep her gift out of Aro’s hand.

Over the next few days, several more clans and nomad vampires arrive. They come from all over the world. They all accept Renesmee as human, although a few are more hesitant than others. The three vampires from Egypt, for example, refuse to touch Renesmee; however, they still agree to stay and help. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie also return.

The Amazons—Zafrina and Senna—arrive, which surprises everyone. Alice stopped to see them and insisted that they come to the Cullens’ home immediately. However, she told their third member, Kachiri, that she needed her help and took Kachiri with her. Bella is surprised that Alice is in South America but is glad to hear news of her.

Bella practices fighting with several of the vampires. She also practices her gift with Kate, who shocks Edward each time Bella fails to protect him. When Kate suggests bringing Renesmee into it for more motivation, Bella grows angry. She finds that in her anger, she can sense the shield around her and stretch it. She manages to move it to Renesmee, Edward, and even a third person before she becomes overwhelmed by the effort.

In the end, there are 28 vampires gathered. The seven Cullens, the four Denalis, and 17 others from around the world.

Bella takes Renesmee and Jacob to visit her father. Then, she drives into Seattle, refusing to tell anyone where she is going.

Bella goes to the address Alice gave to her. It is an abandoned building. Outside, a man named Max asks her what she is doing, and she tells him that she is looking for J. Max calls him, and J initially dismisses him; however, after Bella mentions the name “Cullen,” J tells her to come to his office. Bella learns from Max that J forges papers for people.

J’s office is the same one Bella found online for attorney Jason Jenks. J greets her, insisting that anyone who knows Jasper is his friend. Bella pieces together what Alice wanted. She decides to get identification for Renesmee and Jacob. She realizes that Jacob is the most likely to survive the encounter and get away without the Volturi noticing.

A few more days pass, and the snow begins to fall. No one knows when the Volturi are coming—just that they will be there when the snow begins to stick to the ground. The vampires plan to meet them in an open field in the forest when that day comes.

Bella goes to Charlie’s for Christmas. She enjoys time being “normal,” but is also reminded of the strong possibility of her death. She plans to give Jacob the paperwork and tell him the plan at the last possible moment to keep it from Edward.

When Bella and Edward get back to the Cullen house, there is an argument going on. One of the vampires—Alistair—left without explanation. Another, Amun, who is an Egyptian vampire, is arguing with Carlisle about how futile their plan is. His friend, Benjamin, sides with Carlisle, insisting that they need to protect the innocent Cullens. In the end, Amun decides to stay, but he tells everyone that he will join the Volturi if it means saving his own life.

After the argument with Amun, several of the vampire clans insist that they are going to stand by the Cullens, even if it means fighting the Volturi. A few others promise to stand witness but are not committed to open defiance.

Bella goes back to Seattle to pick up her paperwork. She thinks that Edward knows she is up to something. However, she deduces that he understands that his mind is not safe from Aro, so he is letting her do what she needs to do without demanding more information.

When she gets home, Bella prepares a bag with money, documents, and letters to her mother, father, and Renesmee. She also takes a piece of paper and writes “Rio de Janeiro” on it as a clue for Jacob. She is hopeful that Alice will find him there. She also thinks of how information about Renesmee could still be found among the South American legends.

The night before New Year’s Eve, the vampires camp near the clearing as the snow falls. The next day, they wake up and prepare for the fight. Bella puts the bag over Renesmee’s shoulder, then tells her that she needs to be prepared to leave with Jacob, promising her that she will always love her.

The vampires line up in the field. The ones who were not committed to fighting line the side of the field as witnesses. Bella stands next to Benjamin—who can manipulate the earth and its elements—and Zafrina, who can change what people are seeing and block them from reality. Bella’s job is to protect them with her shield, as they are their best offensive weapons.

When the Volturi enter the field, Bella is awed by the graceful, disciplined way that they move in formation. She counts them, noting there are 32, including the wives of Aro and Caius. There are 19 people willing to fight on Bella’s side, as well as the ten wolves. Behind the Volturi, there are more than forty more vampires, whose looks are a mix of shock and outrage. Bella compares it to an “angry mob,” that will witness what the Volturi do.

The Volturi march toward the gathered vampires, and Edward remarks that they have no plan to pause. However, the wolves emerge from the forest. Bella notes that there are seven more than before, which are newborns that formed in response to the increased vampire presence. The thought makes her furious, as children were changed because of the Volturi.

After their pause, Edward tells them that the Volturi are considering their next move, as they are outnumbered. He instructs Carlisle to speak with them.

Carlisle steps forward, as does Aro. The two briefly talk, with Carlisle insisting that they have done nothing wrong. Aro angrily calls Irina forward. When she hesitates, he slaps her. He demands that she tell them what she saw in the field, but she is now uncertain as Renesmee has grown. Aro dismisses her, instead asking to speak with Edward.

Edward walks toward them, overwhelming Bella with anger and fear. She uses it to project her shield. For the first time, she is completely comfortable doing it. She extends it well beyond where she did before, covering Edward. When he gets to Aro, she relaxes, allowing Aro to touch Edward and read his thoughts.

When Aro finishes, he is convinced of Renesmee’s humanity. He tells the gathered group that there is new information to “consider,” and that there were no laws broken. The group is annoyed, with many openly speaking their disbelief. However, Aro brushes them off, asking to see Renesmee.

Bella comes forward with Jacob and Emmitt. She takes Renesmee to Aro, and then Renesmee reaches out and touches his face. When he finishes seeing what Renesmee shows him, Aro tells her that he has no plans to harm her family. Aro then informs everyone that they need to discuss this new information.

Aro and Caius discuss Renesmee. Aro insists that they cannot move forward with their punishment, as no laws were broken. Bella looks at the gathered witnesses and notes how they no longer seem angry but instead confused. As Caius continues to argue with Aro, Bella realizes that he has no interest in maintaining the reputation of the Volturi as Aro does; he is only interested in destroying the Cullens.

Caius calls Irina forward again. He asks her about her accusation, but she recants, admitting that she made a mistake. Caius then asks why she was spying on the Cullens to begin with, and she tells him that she was seeking vengeance on the wolves.

Caius angrily points out that the Cullens should be punished for befriending their enemies. However, Aro tells him that they are not werewolves—which shocks everyone, including Jacob. They do not infect others as werewolves do and are not affected by the moon. Instead, they are shapeshifters, who inherited their gift and chose the shape of a wolf.

Caius then turns to Irina. He asks her if she would like to pursue justice against the wolves. However, she tells him that she was wrong and holds no anger toward them. In response, Caius angrily kills her, signaling to three of his guards who rip her apart and then set her on fire.

In response, Tanya and Kate angrily come forward. Bella realizes that Caius was intentionally trying to anger the Denali clan, which would cause a battle that couldn’t be stopped. Garrett steps forward and stops Kate, and she shocks him relentlessly. However, Bella manages to manipulate her shield, protecting Garret from her. Eventually, they manage to calm Tanya and Kate down.

Aro speaks to everyone again, telling Caius that he got his revenge and that they need to return to the issue at hand. He speaks with a few of the witnesses in Bella’s grew. The last one, Garrett, openly tells him that they are there to defend the free will of all vampires. He speaks to the Volturi witnesses, telling them that the truth has been revealed: the Volturi are there to destroy the Cullens, not to seek any kind of justice. He says that he has witnessed the Cullen family and that they are unique, as their love for each other—and the lack of aggression that comes with killing other humans—has allowed them to live in peace like no other vampires before them. He instructs the group that he plans to fight the Volturi to stop them from controlling everyone.

Bella looks around and sees that the Volturi witnesses have grown even more uneasy. Several of them sneak away into the forest, running to protect themselves.

Aro tells the group that they need to discuss what they’ve seen. He insists that Renesmee’s future is too unclear—as she grows quickly and no one like her has existed before. He claims that she is a danger to the secrecy of the vampires.

When the Volturi turn their backs to talk with each other, Bella realizes that there is little hope that a fight will not happen. She instructs Jacob to wait until the right moment, then flee with Renesmee. Edward realizes what she has been planning and immediately supports her decision. Bella looks around as all the gathered vampires say goodbye to each other and profess their love. She feels a “pressure” against the outside of her shield and realizes that the Volturi have begun their mental attack.

Over the next several minutes, Bella feels multiple attempts to break her shield. They all fail. She can see the Volturi’s reactions as they realize that she is protecting them.

Aro informs them that the Volturi leaders will vote on how to move forward. Caius votes first, insisting that Renesmee’s future is too uncertain and she must be killed. Marcus then votes, saying that no injustice was done so there should be peace. Aro then needs to break the tie.

As Aro starts to speak, Bella sees Edward grow excited. He steps forward and asks Aro if he can speak one more time. He asks Aro if a fight could be avoided if Renesmee’s future were known. Aro insists that that is the only thing he is concerned about. Edward then calls out to Alice.

Alice comes through the field with Jasper, Kachiri, and two others—a young boy and a girl. The girl introduces herself as Huilen. When they were younger, her human sister became pregnant, and the baby grew quickly, ultimately killing its mother when it was born. Huilen tried to help the baby, but it bit her, and Huilen expected to die; instead, she turned into a vampire. She raised the child for seven years until it stopped maturing in early adulthood.

The other person with them steps forward. He introduces himself as Nahuel. He, like Renesmee, is half-human, half-vampire. He has not aged in one hundred and fifty years. He also has several siblings, as his father chooses to impregnate human women.

Caius is outraged by this information, but Aro stops him. He tells the group that this new information confirms that Renesmee is not dangerous. He decides to vote in favor of letting Renesmee and the others continue as normal.

To Bella’s surprise, the Volturi immediately retreat. She watches as the witnesses also turn, fleeing into the forest. Bella and her family rejoice at the news.

The next day, the gathered vampires slowly disperse, returning to their homes. They make promises to stay in touch and assure each other that they will be there for each other when the Volturi become a problem again.

Edward recaps the battle to his family, having heard the Volturi’s thoughts. The thing that swayed them to back down was Bella’s power. She rendered their strongest vampires useless, which put them at a disadvantage for the first time in their lives.

Bella and Edward go back to their cottage. Bella shows him what she has been working on: she can now remove the shield from her own mind. She thinks of all her happiest memories of Edward, allowing him to see her thoughts for the first time. Edward is in awe, kissing her and breaking her concentration. He insists that they have forever together for her to practice.