After being rescued from the destroyed arena in the Quarter Quell, the protagonist finds herself in District 13, which she had believed to be obliterated. Here she discovers a secret, fully operational society living underground, led by the stern President Coin. The District, long thought to be extinct, is the center of a growing rebellion against the Capitol's tyranny. The protagonist is still traumatized by her experiences and the knowledge that her actions in the arena sparked the rebellion and that the Capitol has captured some of her closest allies. She is also confronted with the fact that her home, District 12, has been reduced to rubble. Despite her fragile state, the rebels see her as an icon of hope and want to use her as the face of the rebellion, styling her as the 'Mockingjay'.

As the symbol of the revolt, the protagonist must come to terms with her new role and the responsibility it carries. She struggles with the pressure to be a leader and the manipulation by those around her with their own agendas. Within District 13, she undergoes intense physical and psychological training while dealing with the grief of her lost home and the absence of her loved ones. Meanwhile, the Capitol's propaganda campaign intensifies, using her captured friends to demoralize the rebels. Tested beyond the breaking point, she must decide whether to embrace the persona of the Mockingjay to unite the districts against the Capitol.