Maximilien returns home after a failed uprising and begins rebuilding his network, while a courier warns him that imperial informants are already moving through nearby provinces.
Laurent builds secret supply routes through churches and trading posts, while Étienne recruits farmers and smugglers. Tension rises when an imperial official vanishes after passing information to the rebellion.
The rebellion strikes imperial shipments along the river, but civilian casualties spark fallout as Maximilien and Laurent clash over how far the movement should go.
A former imperial captain defects to Maximilien's forces, raising doubts for Étienne as imperial troops begin arresting suspected sympathizers in nearby villages.
Maximilien leads a raid on a hidden imperial garrison, gaining weapons and recruits, while Laurent secretly orders the execution of an informant without telling him.
False reports of spreading support unsettle the region as Napoleon's officials escalate patrols and executions, while Étienne notices the rift between Maximilien and Laurent growing worse.
The rebellion seizes a major town after soldiers abandon their posts, but Maximilien's promise of protection collapses when imperial forces return and massacre families tied to the uprising.
Winter shortages strain the rebel camps as Laurent pushes for harsher tactics while Maximilien refuses, and a trusted courier disappears before reaching an allied province.
Étienne uncovers signs of a leak inside the rebellion as Maximilien suspects a local commander and Laurent fears the betrayal reaches higher ranks, just as imperial soldiers ambush a meeting that should have stayed hidden.
The rebellion wins its largest battle and forces an imperial retreat, but retaliation burns nearby villages and leaves Maximilien facing the true cost of the victory as the movement grows beyond his control.