One of Rience’s minions, a professor, backed by three goons questions a shopkeeper regarding Geralt and Ciri. They hear sounds outside and find Geralt out back.

A fight ensues and Geralt dispatches them all.

Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer travel by horseback. Yennefer narrates a letter she writes to Geralt. They find a new sanctuary in a pueblo-style building by the seaside. Geralt refuses to let Yennefer shelter in the same unit, sending her to a separate one. Yennefer regrets betraying Geralt and vows to help Ciri grow her magic and keep her safe.

Yennefer tries to teach Ciri to use her magic, using the lessons Tisaia taught her with.

Next letter: Yennefer updates Geralt on Ciri’s magical training, stating the girl has great potential but little talent.

Ciri shows impatience and frustration with her lack of progress.

Geralt spots another group hunting them and evacuates the group. The hunters find the buildings empty and burn them down.

Their next hideout is a stone fortification. Yennefer goes immediately to the side suite.

The next letter observes that Geralt and Ciri are spending a lot of time and energy hunting game together. She asks he let Ciri conserve her energy for magical training. And requests more wine.

Ciri begins to gain small successes with her magic. Geralt sees another encroaching crowd and moves the group again.

Traveling through deep snow, they find a hut belonging to Yarpen. He knows the routine, expecting payment for his discretion. Ciri teaches Yennefer to ice skate over the winter. In her next letter, Yennfer suggests Ciri needs a break and promises to resume magical training before the snow melts.

Yennefer invites herself into the main dwelling and the three hunker down for the winter, sharing meals and activities.

At the side of the thawing lake, Ciri tries to call forth a water spout but it dissipates. She sighs and Yennefer tries to comfort her that water magic, like earth and air, can be tricky when one doesn’t know how to wield one’s power.

Ciri asks about using fire magic. Yennefer reminds her of Rience’s madness. She explains that fire magic uses up the user.

Yennefer states that magic isn’t everything. Ciri confronts her with the fact she nearly traded Ciri for her magic. Yennefer explains she’d given up then but won’t make that mistake again.

They hear wheels approaching. Yarpen’s brought supplies. He says the supplies are low because the Squirrels, an elven force, had hit a recent convoy, trying to weaken the North so the Nilfgaard king can invade.

Yarpen asks if Geralt and Yennefer are together again. He invites them to the Belleteyn Festival. Ciri jumps at the chance. Neither Geralt nor Yennefer thinks it’s a good idea. Ciri points out no one’s asked about her in months, everyone will be in costume, and Belleteyn is her birthday.

In a dungeon-like menagerie, a monster handler has his assistant feeds the creatures through their cell doors, laughing when the creatures scare the assistant with their vicious roars. He comments on his new pet. It’s a jackapace that hunts elves. The assistant has elven blood which enrages the monster.

Rience appears and declares he wants the jackapace to hunt a girl with elven blood. The monster handler says the monster just needs a scent like a bit of hair or piece of clothing. Rience reveals a bottle of Ciri’s blood. Uncorking it throws the jackapace into a frenzy.

In the Elven encampment, Francesca orders Gage and Filavandrel to take their forces out to find Ciri. They are reluctant. Filavandrel eventually follows her orders but Gage continues to debate the value of looking for Ciri. He doesn’t believe there is sanctuary for elves to be found.

Gage warns her the others are beginning to doubt her judgment. Shouts are heard. Gallatin and the Scoia’tael have returned badly wounded and need healing.

Gallatin berates Filavandrel and Francesca for withholding fighters from the Squirrel attacks. Francesca isn’t impressed with the idea of fighting for Nilfgaard. Gallatin argues it isn’t about who they follow as long as the White Flame gives them food and land.

Gallatin believes backing Nilfgaard will give elves freedom when Nilfgaard conquers the North.

Vizimir is scolding Dijkstra for not finding Ciri. He decides to put his little brother, Radovid, on the job.

Later, Philippa questions the usefulness of Vizimir’s brother to their cause. They try to figure out how to babysit him while they carry on their own business. Philippa agrees to taking care of Radovid, but states she gives the orders.

Ciri prepares for the Belleteyn festival but is hurt when Geralt doesn’t compliment her on her dress. Yennefer arrives in her gown and mask and Geralt compliments her.

At the festival, Ciri joins in the dancing. Geralt and Yennefer watch from a distance. Geralt wishes Yennefer a happy birthday as it’s hers as well.

They reminisce about the many nights they spent together over the centuries and how one or the other left before dawn, making the mornings a lonely experience.

While they try to figure out if their feelings for each other are real or a side effect of the djinn’s magic, Ciri proposes they go in the maze.

The three become separated in the maze. As Ciri wanders, something large rolls by in the background. Geralt and Yennefer find each other but screaming alerts them to danger.

Ciri hears them calling for her. She realizes there’s a monster after her. She evades it and tries to use her magic. Yennefer backs her up. Geralt attacks the jackapace with his sword and kills it.

At Yarpen’s hut, they pack up. Ciri’s upset because she liked this one.

Realizing Rience has Ciri’s blood and can send unlimited numbers of creatures to track her by scent, they decide to bait a trap. Yarpen’s next caravan will provide the means.

Geralt knows the jackapace’s monster handler is Veldhoek. He’s a drug addict and will want to make money after losing his jackapace. They want Yarpen to make it known that Ciri is traveling with his caravan. Veldhoek will sell that info to Rience.

Yarpen doesn’t think they’ll believe Ciri’s traveling alone. Geralt assures him they’ll have someone seemingly innocuous traveling with her. Jaskier.

Jaskier’s having a very public lover’s spat with a woman named Vespula when Philippa appears suddenly at his side. She wants him to carry through on his contract with her and Dijkstra to find Ciri for Visimir. Vespula throws his instrument out and Radovid happens to catch it. Turns out he’s a big fan of Jaskier’s music.

He offers the idea that Redania’s not a bad option for Ciri and that Jaskier could be their royal bard. His charm seems to have an effect on Jaskier. Philippa is slightly disturbed and reiterates the threat that if Jaskier cannot produce Ciri, they’ll have to cut him loose, undoing all the good he’s done for the elves as the Sandpiper. She clarifies that they will kill them all. She tells Jaskier he has five days.

Philippa and Radovid take off just as Yarpen arrives. He lets Jaskier know he is needed.

Jaskier’s not keen to be Ciri’s expendable guard on this mission. Geralt and Yennefer promise he’ll be safe. The caravan makes camp at Shaerrawedd for the night. Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer wander to the shrine. Geralt tells Ciri the story of Aelirenn, an elven warrior who tried to defeat the humans and failed. Yennefer provides more context.

Gallatin’s Squirrels take another caravan and celebrate with food. When Gage approaches for food, Gallatin tries to withhold it since he didn’t fight with them. Francesca states all elves share equally.

Francesca admits Gallatin had a point and promises to unite their forces. She plans to be by his side on their next attack.

Geralt wakes up looking at Yennefer than panics when he realizes Ciri’s gone. Yarpen points them in the direction of Aelirenn’s shrine.

Ciri says she dreamed she could do what Aelirenn and her grandmother couldn’t – survive through uniting humans and elves rather than fighting them.

Geralt tries to be supportive but is interrupted by a low rumbling. He insists he and Yennefer take cover.

Rience and a team of goons attack Ciri. She fights off the first wave of assault. Geralt and Yennefer enter the fight.

Rience grabs Ciri. Yarpen and Jaskier join the fight. Rience tries to escape through a portal. Yennefer keeps it open so that Geralt can pursue him.

Rience attacks Geralt with a blast of fire magic. Geralt hides from it, noting his location by looking through the window.

While Yennefer tries to hold the portal open, Gallatin's elves with Francesca’s forces attack with archers. Ciri spots Dara among the elves. She fights so that Yennefer can focus on the portal.

Geralt fights Rience, but when elven arrows fly through the portal, he shortens the battle, breaking both of Rience’s hands and diving back to Schaerrawedd. Yennefer informs him the elves have come for Ciri. He takes on the elven forces, killing Gage to save Ciri. Jaskier scurries through the battle, pulling the dwarven fighters to safety when they’re wounded.

In their debrief, Yennefer tells Geralt Rience’s portal was different. It was imbued with dark magic that took her over. She suspects Rience isn’t the only rogue mage in play.

Geralt insists Ciri’s magical training speed up. Yennefer suggests consulting Tissaia at Aretuza but Geralt says that’s not wise. Yennefer pleads with Geralt to trust her.

Ciri wants them to stay together, but Geralt states he must pursue Rience and can’t go with them to Aretuza.

Francesca sings her dead warriors to rest, holding her brother Gage in her embrace.

Filavandrel stops Gallatin from interrupting her. Gallatin is furious Francesca lied to him. He tends to Dara’s wound and vows that he’s had enough. He leaves to get help from a friend.

Geralt bids Ciri and Yennefer farewell.

Jaskier meets with Philippa and Radovid, promising to bring Ciri to them because she’s in danger and endangers those around her whom he loves.

He tells them they must get rid of Rience in order to earn Ciri’s trust as well as Geralt’s and his own.

Geralt finds a letter in his saddlebag telling him Yennefer already misses him and if Aretuza is not to Ciri’s liking, he’ll find them at a dollhouse on a squid farm.

Yennefer finds a letter as she unrolls for sleeping mat. Geralt writes that he knows real fear when he considers never seeing Ciri and Yennefer again.

As he narrates his letter, there are scenes from Aretuza where Tissaia sends acolytes out into a storm, Stregobor watching from a distance, and Rience’s hands are healed. Another scene is the castle at Cintra where Emperor Emhyr, Ciri’s father, the White Flame, stands on a balcony.

He walks inside to a banquet hall and pulls out a pile of portraits. One by one, he throws them into a brazier, keeping only the one of Ciri as a baby.