At Vern’s Tavern, Raven encounters Jed, who has come to begin initiation into the Collective now that he is 18. She forbids it, but he accuses her of siding with the Council through her bounty hunting. In anger, Raven reveals that she took the blame for a crime he committed as a child. She received two strikes, documented by the two scars on her shoulder, barring her from legitimate work. Jed leaves for his night shift at the water treatment facility.

In the Collective’s back room, Raven waits to talk to the local leader, Aggie. She trades barbs with Aggie’s son, Graylin (Gray), whom she has known since childhood. She overhears a member named Opal telling Loria, one of the leaders, that they need to rescue someone named Kit from Endlock. Following their usual arrangement, Raven gives Aggie information about a low-level fugitive in exchange for intel on dangerous criminals.

Aggie asks Raven to undertake a mission, even though she isn’t a member of the Collective. They want her to intercept Councilor Elder’s written communications to Endlock. Elder wants to visit the North Settlement, a community outside of Dividium, ostensibly to study their crop growth, but the Collective suspects another motive. Raven says she will only agree if Aggie bars Jed from the Collective. Aggie refuses, saying Jed must make his own choices.

Later, Raven has a beer in the bar. She sees a man watching her and approaches him. He introduces himself as Vale and says he came to meet Eris Cybin, to whom he is indebted. They flirt, nearly kissing, and leave together.

Because it is after curfew, Raven and Vale hide when patrol guards approach. Raven accidentally kicks a bottle, alerting them. Certain she will be arrested and sent to Endlock, she agrees when Vale suggests a kiss as cover. During the kiss, he calls her “Little Bird.” When the guards find them, Vale shows them something on his wrist, and they immediately leave. Realizing that only a guard could avoid arrest that way, Raven punches Vale and runs home.

The next morning, Aggie arrives with devastating news: Jed was arrested the previous night. Torin Bond’s son and Councilor Baskan’s son, Roald, had attacked Jed at the water treatment facility, and Jed fought back, punching Roald. He has been transported to Endlock. Aggie reveals that the attackers were looking for revenge on Raven for arresting Torin; they had gone to Raven’s apartment first, but she was not home.

Aggie offers a deal: The Collective will help Raven break Jed out of Endlock if she helps them. Raven must get herself arrested, then break out both Jed and Kit Casey—a Collective member—and escort Kit across the dangerous Wastes to the North Settlement. Raven agrees, and Aggie tells her that the staged arrest must happen that day.

At the Lower Sector market, Raven and Aggie execute their plan. Raven bumps into Aggie, who accuses her of stealing and shows guards a locket—actually Raven’s mother’s heirloom, which Aggie will keep safe. Captain Flint sees the arrest and complains that it will cost him his commission, making clear to Raven that his help to her over the years was purely transactional. Guards shackle Raven and load her onto the Endlock transport.

Inside, other inmates recognize Raven as a bounty hunter and threaten her. An inmate named Landis trips her, taunting that other prisoners will kill her before hunters can.

The transport travels through the Wastes, a desolate expanse of cracked earth. Raven wakes from nightmares of Jed’s death to find a lush forest surrounding Endlock, which includes a resort complex with hotels, restaurants, and pools for wealthy hunters.

At the prison, Warden Larch—wearing necklaces made of teeth from his kills, a common practice—boards the transport and warns inmates not to harm guests. Raven is herded through processing. When Landis panics and tries to flee, a guard kills him. A guard forces Raven to strip and gives her a black wristband bearing the number 224. Dr. Amelia Row conducts a physical examination, telling Raven she is healthy and could survive a long time at Endlock.

In the final processing room, Raven comes face-to-face with Vale.

Vale and Raven recognize each other with shock. He reads from her file that she is a criminal and rebel and assumes that her bounty hunting was merely a cover for Collective activities. Another guard, Mort, warns Vale that other inmates will want revenge on Raven for being a bounty hunter. As they prepare to brand Raven with her number, Mort mentions a bet with another guard about how long they can hold a branding iron on skin. Vale insists on doing the branding himself, straps Raven into a metal chair, and presses a heated iron onto her forearm.

Raven screams as Vale brands her arm. Afterward, he submerges it in cool water to prevent a deeper burn. Mort gives her a gray jumpsuit, marking her as a lower-level inmate, and escorts her to the mess hall, explaining prison rules and threatening beatings for infractions. Raven memorizes the layout, noting cameras everywhere and multiple cellblocks. A large screen displays the status of inmates in the day’s three hunts; seven are already dead. Raven scans desperately for Jed but cannot find him.

A green-uniformed inmate named August, or Gus, is assigned to show Raven to her cell. She asks if he knows Kit Casey and hints at her Collective connection. He confirms he does, adding that Kit was selected for the day’s third hunt. In the food line, an inmate named Perri recognizes Raven as the bounty hunter who captured her and announces it to nearby prisoners. Gus defends Raven, saying she is one of them now.

Walking to Cellblock H, Gus tells Raven that he knows Jed through Kit, who befriended him after hearing that he punched Councilor Baskan’s son. Gus says Jed’s reputation for bravery will earn him allies. Gus reveals he has survived two years at Endlock—a record—with the highest ranking of 10. Guards Hyde and Mort arrive and taunt Raven until Vale appears and sends them away under the pretext of an inspection. Raven tells him she does not need his help; he replies that his job is to enforce rules for everyone, calls her Little Bird, and leaves.