Leafpool discovers a tuft of fur in Ashfur's claws, which scares her because it's the fur of Hollyleaf. Leafpool is in a lot of pain, then wonders if it's her fault he's dead. ThunderClan discusses Ashfur's murder, and many think that WindClan killed him. Firestar then sends a patrol to WindClan to find out if one of them killed Ashfur. Hollyleaf then reveals that she secretly met with Sol once, and the Clan takes Sol's last words to her as a threat. Firestar sends Birchfall, Brambleclaw, Brackenfur, Hazeltail, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze to the sun-drown-place to find Sol. On the journey, the travelers run into some dogs and are saved by a she-cat called Jingo. Jingo brings them to a group of cats that once sheltered Sol, and the cats seem to hate Sol. After the travelers leave, they run into Purdy and then Sol, and they bring both back to ThunderClan.

After that, back in camp, Honeyfern gets bitten by a snake saving Briarkit. Honeyfern soon dies.

Jayfeather, on the other hand, tries to figure out the herb that Leafpool mixed in with Mousefur's tansy at the time of his birth. At the Moonpool, Littlecloud tells him it's parsley, used for stopping milk in nursing queens if their kits die. Jayfeather realizes his real mother must have had to take it to stop her milk. Jayfeather then finds out that his mother is Leafpool, and she tells him that she is, and she tells Hollyleaf too. When she talks with Hollyleaf, she also reveals that Hollyleaf was Ashfur's killer.

The three pester Sol about the prophecy and their real father, until Yellowfang comes to Jayfeather in a dream and brings him a crow's feather, revealing that their father was Crowfeather.

Jayfeather gets back to camp and helps deliver Whitewing's kits. At the gathering, Hollyleaf reveals the secret, and calls Squirrelflight and Leafpool cowards and liars. Crowfeather denies that he ever had any kits besides Breezepelt, and he states that Leafpool and their kits mean nothing to him at all.

Hollyleaf then realizes that she hates her adoptive mother and real mother, and she figures that the whole thing was Leafpool's fault. She then stops Leafpool in the medicine den and tries to force her to eat deathberries. Leafpool then states that if she died, it would all be over, but if she lived, she would suffer more. Hollyleaf lets her go, and runs into the forest to get away from the Clans. She then runs into a collapsing tunnel and it collapses on her. Jayfeather and Lionblaze run after her and try to stop her, but they can't so Hollyleaf dies.

Now that there are only two, Jayfeather and Lionblaze think about the prophecy. Then when Dovekit and Ivykit come out of the nursery, Jayfeather realizes that one of them is part of the prophecy they thought Hollyleaf was part of. This is because Cloudtail is Firestar's kin and Whitewing is Cloudtail's kin.