Gray takes Wren on a romantic hovercraft date over a lagoon glowing purple, surprising her with bioluminescent “moonfish.” He confesses he has a huge crush on her. Wren reveals it’s her 21st birthday, and they kiss. Wren’s happiness is disrupted when she psychically hears Cross getting a tattoo and demanding it hurt. She is sure he is getting the tattoo because it is her birthday—Wolf wished her happy birthday every year since she was six.

A few days later, Gray informs Wren that the Authority is sending Adrienne on a dangerous emissary mission to Tierra Fe—a heavily guarded Faithful community—with only one guard and no communications. Citing her superior skill, Wren demands to be the sniper. Gray reluctantly agrees.

Wren provides sniper cover with Evlynne while Adrienne and Saint meet with Tierran officials to secure an alliance. They land stealthily using a radar jammer. The meeting with Commander Vásquez is brief, as President Ramos has decided against getting involved in a war that does noy concern them. As Adrienne departs, Vásquez reveals he knows Wren and Evlynne’s position. Adrienne orders evacuation.

During the retreat, Wren falls into a bear pit and severely injures her leg. Knowing Gray won’t leave her, she incites him into flying away with the rest of the team, only breaking the mental connection when Evlynne confirms they are airborne. Exhausted, Wren loses consciousness as Tierran soldiers find her.

Wren awakens in a cell. Commander Vásquez says he won’t kill her but is holding her to send a message to Adrienne. He explains his people’s religious convictions view the Continent as corrupted beyond redemption and call the Modified “demons,” making alliance impossible.

After Vásquez leaves with a dark-haired woman who had stood silently throughout, the woman returns with food and clothing. The camera is off. She reveals she is a Modified healer and secretly mends Wren’s leg. She introduces herself as Valeria Vásquez, the commander’s daughter, with a bloodmark hidden under her tongue. While sharing her father’s faith, Valeria understands the Company’s threat. She’ll persuade her father to “look the other way,” in the stand-off, allowing the Uprising to use Tierra Fe’s airspace and shipping routes. She binds Wren’s leg to conceal the healing before Wren asks for one last favor.

Wren returns to Gray’s quarters. An angry Gray confronts her over using incitement on him without his consent, reminding her of her promise. The argument shifts when Gray reveals his fear of losing her, demanding she promise never to sacrifice herself for him again. Wren agrees, and the confrontation dissolves into physical reconciliation. They become more intimate, stopping short of sex. Wren articulates that using incitement on Jayde left her feeling monstrous, but using it to protect Gray felt justifiable. Gray asks her to stay the night.

The next morning, Karra catches Wren leaving Gray’s room. Karra is coldly composed, warning Wren that Gray is emotionally incapable of depth and that Wren—who she reads as deeply feeling—will want more than he can give.

Wren seeks out Poppy, learning the girl has avoided the aviary since the death of her favorite raven, Didi. Their conversation touches on feeling trapped by overprotective guardians, and Wren shares memories of Jim and Tana. Finally, Wren finds Evlynne crying on the Ledge. Evlynne reveals Fisher has manifested a bloodmark.

Evlynne fears disclosing Fisher’s bloodmark to the Authority, as they would take him for training. Wren recalls how Jim burned off her own bloodmark when she was seven to keep her from being detected. She promises to keep Fisher’s secret. Nearly a week later, at a bonfire for Mako’s birthday, Wren gives him a rare gold chocolate bar. As they leave, Wren feels ill with a racing heart and labored breathing. Recognizing the overly sweet aftertaste in the grange she drank, she realizes she’s been poisoned with heartroot, a toxic plant, before collapsing.

Wren awakens in the medical bay with Gray. He tells her that her heart stopped for four minutes; Fiona resuscitated her. Gray runs a secret toxicology test, confirming heartroot, then deletes the results. They agree to investigate the incident privately without involving the Authority. When Fiona enters the room, Gray claims the report was clean. Wren lies that her collapse was from a bad reaction to stims (substances).

Captain Quinn interrogates Marina Serrano about losing her husband Jake and her five-year-old daughter within the same year. Serrano claims she copes by working. Quinn notes Serrano held a required Command funeral for Jake but no service for Stella, and frequently says Jake’s name but avoids Stella’s. Serrano describes her daughter as beautiful, wise, and fearless, and states that, to her knowledge, Stella was not an Aberrant. Quinn presses on why she will not say her daughter’s name.

Months pass with no progress identifying the poisoner. Adrienne assigns Wren sniper overwatch for a secret meeting. On the way, they rendezvous with Xavier and Jasper. Xavier reveals he is happily smuggling at the Hollow. Xavier reveals Cross has been seeing other women; when Wren refuses to believe it, Jasper corroborates and projects his own memory directly into her mind, forcing her to see proof of Cross with another woman at a brothel.

Devastated but focused, Wren proceeds with her mission. From her sniper position overlooking an old railroad station, she gets a clear look at one of the people Adrienne is meeting and is stunned to recognize Travis Redden.

Disturbed by what she has learnt about Cross, Wren avoids Gray. When he finds her, she admits she is devastated that ross has moved on. Gray is hurt to learn the relationship was more serious than he knew. He sends Tana to comfort Gray; the friends reconcile as Wren describes Jasper’s projected memory. The next day, Gray mentions Adrienne and Kallister are fiercely disagreeing over a high-risk mission. Suspecting a connection, Wren meets privately with Kallister and tells him about Adrienne meeting Travis. Kallister confirms he knows of the meeting and reveals the Uprising previously worked with Travis to take down his father.

Kallister explains Travis initiated contact, proposing they work together to remove General Merrick. The Authority unanimously agreed; Adrienne used corruption on Merrick after Travis provided access to his own father. Travis also sacrificed part of his fleet—approving the Uprising’s bombing of the Command hangar. Adrienne hopes cooperation with Travis will now lead to peace; Kallister is skeptical. Wren is conflicted about the manner in which the Authority is conducting itself.

Despite being sworn to secrecy, Wren tells her discoveries to Gray. He confirms the alliance, admitting Travis’s motives are selfish but can benefit Mods. He flies her to a dark cliff overlooking the ocean. After Wren notices daggerstone and submerged ruins, Gray reveals they are at Valterra Ridge.

Gray reveals Valterra Ridge was his childhood home and his parents and sisters were killed there. Wren is filled with guilt, knowing her mother was responsible. She nearly confesses but stops, terrified Gray will look at her differently. Gray recounts that after his family’s death he lived with his aunt and uncle. His uncle Taylor would beat him nearly to death daily and then use healing to erase the evidence. He resents his aunt for inaction. Wren offers him comfort. This vulnerability leads them back to the Dagger, where they have sex for the first time. Wren reflects their connection was worth the wait.