This is a story about a girl named Tris who lives in a society that is divided into different
factions based on personality type and preference.
Her faction, Dauntless, recently attacked her old faction, Abnegation, as the Dauntless
soldiers were under the control of the Erudite through a brain simulation.
Tris and those who managed to escape the attack arrive at Amity headquarters.
She is joined by her brother, Caleb, and her trainer and romantic interest, Tobias, or
Four.
The Amity leaders decide that the group can only stay for a short time so Tris and her
group try to fit in.
Tris is hiding a hard drive that contains valuable information related to the attacks
on the Abnegation by the Dauntless.
However, Peter, a fellow runaway and Dauntless, tries to take it and Tris attacks him.
Because it’s against Amity policy to fight, Tris is given a special serum that makes her
relax and happy.
The Erudite arrive and search the Amity buildings for Tris and her group.
However, Tris and her group manage to escape by running into a field.
They ride a train and encounter a group of factionless, who take them to their secret
headquarters.
There, they see that the factionless are more organized than previously thought and that
Tobias' mother, Evelyn, is their leader, who Tris thought was dead.
Evelyn wants Tobias to help them fight against the Erudite and Dauntless traitors, but Tobias
doesn't know what to do and leaves for Candor headquarters to seek help.
When Tobias and Tris arrive in Candor headquarters, they are arrested and given truth serum that
reveals what happened with the Dauntless simulation.
Under the serum, Tris reveals that she shot her friend, Will, in self-defense during the
attack.
Tris meets up with some of the other Dauntless, including some of her old friends.
However, they are attacked by the Dauntless traitors, led by Eric, a Dauntless leader,
but aren’t killed.
Eric only wants to find people who are Divergent to take back to Jeanine.
Tris is captured, but is rescued by her Dauntless friends.
Jack Kang, leader of the Candor, decides to negotiate with Jeanine and the Erudite faction.
Tris and a few of her friends sneak under the bridge while the negotiations are going
on.
However, Jeanine isn’t there, but is represented by a Dauntless leader named Max.
The negotiations go bad and shooting ensues.
Tris realizes that Jeanine is nearby and so she runs to a nearby building, but Jeanine
escapes.
The Dauntless also choose new leaders, Tori, Harrison, and Tobias, which means they can
order the execution of Eric.
Tobias shoots Eric in the head.
Jack Kang announces the terms offered by Erudite, which prompts the Dauntless to leave and return
home.
There, a few of the Dauntless become controlled under a simulation and jump off a building.
A message from Erudite indicates that each day more Dauntless will kill themselves unless
those who are Divergent turn themselves in.
Tris decides to turn herself in and so she goes to the Erudite headquarters.
She is given a series of medical tests, which reveal the workings of her brain and why she
is Divergent.
She also discovers that Tobias turns himself in and that her brother, Caleb, is working
with Jeanine.
Tris is eventually scheduled to be executed by a poison serum.
The serum is injected and everyone believes she’s dead.
However, Peter changes the serum and so it only paralyzes her.
Peter helps her escape with Tobias and they make it back to the Factionless hideout.
Tris recovers from her injuries and talks with Marcus, who reveals that there is something
beyond the fence that they don’t know about.
He convinces her to work with him to retrieve the information.
Evelyn leads the factionless and the Dauntless forces toward the Erudite headquarters, while
Marcus leads a secret team through the city to recover the secret file that explains everything.
The group enters the city and sneaks into Erudite headquarters through a window.
Tris eventually finds Jeanine, but Tori is about to kill her.
Tris fights Tori, saying that they need Jeanine alive.
However, Tori stabs Jeanine and kills her.
Tris is taken away as a traitor as the factionless forces are victorious.
However, Evelyn orders the Dauntless to give up their weapons and reveals that the new
society will not have factions.
In the end, a video plays over the screens and reveals that all of the people in the
city were put there because of how cruel the outside world has become and that they are
to be released back into the world when they become Divergent.