At 18, Coriolanus Snow hopes to extricate himself from his family's loss of fortune in the aftermath of the Dark Days. To receive a scholarship allowing him to enter the University, he volunteers to become the mentor of a tribute on the occasion of the tenth edition of the Hunger Games and do everything so that the latter wins. To make matters worse, he is assigned Lucy Gray Baird, the girl from the twelfth district, the poorest in Panem and therefore the one with the least chance of surviving against stronger and better-off competitors. Intrigued by his protégé's exploits as well as her meaningful songs, Coriolanus nevertheless takes a liking to Lucy and uses murderous subterfuges to keep her in the race. He hopes to live alongside her at the end of the Hunger Games, but the games, both televised and political, will be very cruel towards him. [SDM].