Cogswell is sent home for disobeying orders and interfering between the Ma'an rebels and the Abuddinian army. A heartbroken Leila confers with Saddiq, Safiya, and Al Qadi — they decide to declare a government in exile in Ma'an, with Leila as president. After Al Qadi is assassinated by a Caliphate operative in Nafisa's arms, she joins with Leila to fulfill her husbands dream of a free Abuddin. After meeting with Halima, Leila plans to announce her presidency and be sworn in at the Asima University square, fleeing back to Ma'an before Barry can assemble his troops against her. But the plan is betrayed by her sister, Safiya, after Maloof arrests her and threatens her children. Maloof takes the troops to the square before Leila can arrive with the intention of evacuating the protesters under a martial law curfew. But Hanif and his friends anticipated military interference and brought the smuggled weapons with them. Halima spots the weapons and tries to stop them, but is unsuccessful. She and Sammy attempt to flee with her boyfriend. After finding one of their classmates shot and watching her die, they make a break across the plaza, but Sammy is shot in the spine. Halima spots Haitham, and calls to him for help. At the hospital, Molly is a wreck, and Barry initially blames Haitham for Sammy being at the protest, but Halima explains that it was her fault and that Haitham saved Sammy before the professor admits his love for Barry's son.
Molly visits Daliyah in prison and taunts her about the hunger strike and their shared relationship with Barry. Barry visits her as doctors force feed her with an NG tube. She hallucinates as the hunger strike weakens her, seeing her son and Barry at various points in time. At the end, Exley visits Daliyah and reveals that Fauzi has been tweeting in her name, and that she was ten million followers, giving her hope that she can still effect change in Abuddin and in the world.
Molly decides that she wants another baby after an awkward family dinner, and coerces Barry into the most awkward sex scene.
When Barry hesitates going forward with the invasion after Sammy's injury, maloof turns on him, threatening to kill every member of his family if he doesn't comply with Maloof's plans.
