After a major public success, Paul Atreides Barylan and his friends outline the First Four Initiative to push ethical behavior on telepathic Grigori members and their billionaire employers. A few CEOs express interest, but the majority use their Grigori enablers to fight back.

Gemma and Paul's relationship deepens, but she worries he'll dump her when he discovers her past. She runs to her grandmother, an empath, to uncover her true feelings. There, she develops a plan to reorganize the Grigori to serve rather than steal and murder.

The First Four's rising public profile doesn't stop the Grigori Council from attacking them in the media in New York City and with heavily-armed commandos in Jefferson, Texas. Paul suffers a huge personal loss and a complication to his life and mission, but vows to keep fighting.

The Four learn that Council leader Anton Kruschkov plans to turn the Grigori into a criminal organization, creating a mental powers Mafia. In addition, he brings The Annihilator from Europe to delete the telepathic abilities of all the group members, ending their threat to his dominance.

Protection from the police and the FBI can't shield the teens from an attack by Anton and The Annihilator. Facing mental erasure and probable death, one of the First Four discovers new abilities powerful enough to give them a chance to stay alive.