Vin arrives at Keep Venture with Sazed and immediately senses that the ball is unusual. The hall is too perfect, the guards are more conspicuous, and attendance has surged despite recent declining interest in balls. When other nobles pointedly avoid Vin, Sazed investigates among the stewards.

Sazed reports that several major houses have canceled their upcoming balls, making this likely the last ball before open house war. Vin realizes the nobles have stopped casual politicking and are finalizing alliances, leaving neutral House Renoux isolated. Sazed leaves to warn Kelsier while Vin stays long enough to preserve House Renoux’s appearance.

Vin finds Elend seated with his father instead of reading in his usual balcony alcove. Elend tells Vin that House Venture needs him, that she is a political liability, and that he knows she has lied about herself. Elend breaks off their relationship and leaves, causing Vin’s old fear of abandonment, voiced through memories of Reen, to resurface.

Kliss approaches Vin and reveals that her foolish-gossip persona is a cover for selling information. Kliss blackmails House Renoux over Vin’s planted rumors, then sells Vin a more urgent secret: Shan Elariel and Elariel Allomancers intend to assassinate Elend that night, with Lord Straff Venture’s cooperation, and expose dangerous books in Elend’s possession. When Kliss resists giving details, Vin uses emotional Allomancy to force the truth from her.

Although Elend has just rejected Vin, Vin decides she loves him and tries to save him. Unable to navigate Keep Venture’s inner passages, Vin breaks through a large rose window with Allomancy and reaches the roof. She pierces the assassins’ concealment well enough to find them, attacks Shan’s team, and sends a wounded Thug crashing through Elend’s skylight to warn the people below.

Shan, revealed as Mistborn, pursues Vin with another Mistborn. Vin escapes onto the walls, fights Shan directly, and is forced into an atium contest. Knowing Shan has more atium, Vin tricks Shan by briefly extinguishing her own supply, then burning the last of it at the decisive moment; Vin catches a wooden arrow and drives its broken pieces into Shan’s chest, killing her before fleeing into the night.