Coriolanus waits for his tribute’s train with a gift of a white rose on a hot, empty platform, a strategy for making a good first impression.
His cousin Tigris and he believe his tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, has star quality and hope this will help him succeed in mentoring her in the Hunger Games.
Coriolanus considers his difficult family situation, including his grandmother's prized roses and the approaching tax on their apartment.
The trains are delayed, making Coriolanus anxious, questioning his decision to meet Lucy Gray early.
Upon the train's arrival, tributes are escorted out of cargo cars, restrained, in poor condition, and treated harshly by the Peacekeepers.
Coriolanus reflects on tragic memories associated with the train station and his father’s death.
The sight of the tributes, especially Lucy Gray, affects Coriolanus deeply, mixing pity and revulsion.
Coriolanus gives Lucy the rose, initiating a conversation that suggests she finds him amusing but relatively unimportant.
Coriolanus tries to establish trust and show courage by accompanying Lucy and the other tributes in a cage-like truck to their quarters.
When threatened by the tributes inside the truck, Coriolanus must defend himself; Lucy Gray intervenes, hinting at a possible alliance.
The truck takes Coriolanus and the tributes to the monkey house at the zoo, a mistake that leaves Coriolanus humiliated and horrified.
