“Welcome to the Playground”

Rebels from the repressed undercity of Zaun march across a bridge into Piltover, resulting in the brutal pushback by Piltover enforcers. During the ensuing violence, sisters Powder and Vi find their parents dead in the rubble and are taken in by Vander, the leader of the failed rebellion, as his own children. Years later, Vi and Powder rob a Piltovan penthouse with their adopted brothers, Mylo and Claggor. Powder steals a set of magical crystals and accidentally shatters one. This causes an explosion that destroys a large portion of the building. Returning to the undercity, the siblings encounter Deckard and his thugs; while they beat them in a fistfight, Powder is chased and loses the loot. Vander, now a bar owner and a community leader in Zaun, scolds the children for their carelessness, and attempts to smooth things over with Grayson, the Sheriff of the enforcers. Vi berates Mylo for calling Powder a “jinx” and reassures her sister that things will get better. In the lowest parts of the undercity, crime lord Silco extracts information from Deckard and tests a new mutagen known as Shimmer on a rat.

“Some Mysteries Are Better Left Unsolved”

The crystals that Powder stole turn out to belong to Jayce Talis, a student at Piltover’s academy. Piltover’s ruling council has him testify about using illegal equipment in unsanctioned experiments. Jayce was saved by arcane magic as a child and believes it can be a new resource for Piltover’s evolution. The academy expels him when he admits the magical nature of the experiments, and his research is ordered to be destroyed. On the verge of suicide, his beliefs are renewed when Viktor, the disabled assistant of the academy’s professor Heimerdinger, offers to help him. In Zaun, Grayson and her subordinate Marcus pressure Vander to reveal the true culprits of the robbery, while Zaunites pressure him to fight back against the interference of the enforcers. He chooses to keep his family safe and remain neutral. Vi decides to turn herself in. Meanwhile, Silco manipulates Deckard into swallowing a vial of Shimmer.

“The Base Violence Necessary for Change”

Years ago, Silco and Vander fought together to free the undercity from Piltover. This changed when Vander betrayed Silco and tried to drown him in Zaun’s toxic river. In the present day, Vander stops Vi from turning herself in. Silco then captures him after the mutated Deckard kills Benzo, Grayson and her men, sparing only Marcus. Vi, Mylo, and Claggor go to rescue Vander, leaving Powder alone. In Piltover, Jayce and Viktor secretly work with the crystals under the discretion of councilor Mel Medarda and invent Hextech, a new arcane technology. In the undercity, the siblings reach Vander but are cut off by Silco. Vi fights off Silco’s thugs, but is badly beaten by Deckard. Powder, attempting to save her, detonates three of the crystals in an explosion that kills Claggor and Mylo. Vander, fatally wounded by Silco, takes Shimmer, kills Deckard and saves Vi before dying. In her grief, Vi hits Powder, calls her a “jinx” and walks away. She sees Silco approach and attempts to return to her sister but is ambushed and captured by Marcus. Believing Vi has abandoned her, Powder breaks down in Silco’s arms. He embraces Powder and tells her that “We’ll show them all.”

“Happy Progress Day!”

Several years later, Piltover is prospering with Jayce’s Hextech technology and celebrates its 200th anniversary on a holiday called ‘Progress Day’. Jayce initially hopes to reveal his and Viktor’s latest non-explosive gemstone device at the ceremony, but decides not to after Heimerdinger warns him on its unresolved potential dangers. Elsewhere, Powder, now a teenager going by the name of Jinx, works for Silco and helps him smuggle materials, mainly Shimmer, into Piltover. A job goes awry when an undercity gang known as the Firelights interfere, during which Jinx briefly mistakes one of them as Vi, and has a violent breakdown. Jinx attempts to repair her damaged reputation with Silco by stealing Jayce’s gemstone and setting off an explosion that kills six enforcers. Jayce is given a Piltover council seat to protect their people from the stolen gemstone. Caitlyn, an inexperienced enforcer and Jayce’s childhood friend, travels to Stillwater prison to gather information about Jinx from one of Silco’s goons. Instead, she encounters an adult Vi, having been imprisoned by Marcus.

“Everybody Wants to Be My Enemy”

Caitlyn releases Vi from prison because of her knowledge of the undercity, and works with her to find Silco. Vi tracks down Silco’s second-in-command, Sevika, who reveals Jinx’s relationship with Silco, a shock which gives Sevika the opportunity to stab her. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Marcus was promoted to Sheriff with Silco’s help. In exchange, Marcus allows Shimmer to be smuggled, and blames the Progress Day bombing and robbery on the Firelights. Jinx refuses to work on the new Hextech gemstones because of the trauma of killing her family with a similar device. In response, Silco takes her to the river where Vander tried to drown him and tries to convince Powder to accept her new identity as Jinx via a baptism. Back in Piltover, councillor Medarda starts a romantic relationship with Jayce. Meanwhile, Viktor’s illness worsens and he grows increasingly desperate to find a cure through Hextech technology.

“When These Walls Come Tumbling Down”

After Viktor collapses in the lab from his illness, he and Jayce begin to study the “Hexcore”, a new Hextech machine that reacts to organic matter and has the potential to cure it. Heimerdinger tries to have it destroyed due to its danger, prompting Jayce to orchestrate his removal from the council. Viktor approaches Singed, his childhood mentor, to help perfect the Hexcore. Marcus is ordered by Silco to kill Caitlyn and Vi and blockades the bridge in order to intercept them. Vi and Caitlyn find a safehouse in the lowest slums of Zaun so Vi can recover from her fight with Sevika, but Silco finds them after bribing the local addicts with Shimmer. The pair manages to escape. Having recently learned about Vi’s return, Jinx lights up a flare Vi gave her before their ill-fated mission to rescue Vander years ago. Vi sees it and the two sisters reunite. However, Caitlyn’s presence triggers Jinx’s mistrust. The Firelights intervene, steal the gemstone, and kidnap Caitlyn and Vi.

“The Boy Saviour”

The leader of the Firelights is revealed to be Ekko, now a gruff and battle-hardened warrior. He explains that Silco took over the underground after Vander’s death and made the populace dependent on Shimmer. Under Ekko, the Firelights have been leading efforts to thwart Silco and rehabilitate addicts. Jinx angrily assaults Silco for hiding Vi’s return from her, but he persuades her into continuing to do his will. Following the growing unrest between the two cities, Mel advises Jayce to work on Hextech weaponry. Meanwhile, Viktor uses Shimmer to enable the Hexcore to modify his failing body. Seeking to return the gemstone to Piltover, Ekko and Caitlyn are stopped by Marcus at the blockade. Marcus shoots Ekko, and points his gun at Caitlyn, Vi runs to help her. An onlooking Jinx sends and detonates a swarm of robotic insects on the bridge. The resulting explosion kills Marcus and his enforcers and wounds Caitlyn. Ekko and Jinx face off as Vi helps the injured Caitlyn to cover; he beats her but finds himself unable to deliver the final blow, allowing Jinx to detonate a grenade near them.

“Oil and Water”

Silco finds the heavily injured Jinx in the aftermath of the explosion and sees that she managed to steal back the gemstone. He takes her to Singed to heal her wounds. As Jinx endures Singed’s treatment, she hallucinates that it is Vi and Caitlyn inflicting the pain. He injects her with massive amounts of Shimmer, turning her eyes violet. Meanwhile, Mel’s mother arrives in Piltover following the assassination of Mel’s brother and attempts to prepare her for the brewing war with Zaun. Ex-councilor Heimerdinger visits Zaun to help the locals and encounters Ekko, who broke his leg escaping from Jinx’s grenade. Meanwhile, Viktor’s efforts to heal his body through the Hexcore succeed; his leg is healed and he is able to run for the first time. However, further experimentation with the Hexcore results in the death of his childhood friend and assistant Sky. After failing to convince the council that Silco is a threat, Vi abandons Caitlyn and partners with Jayce to take down Silco’s Shimmer factories. Armed with Hextech weaponry, they defeat a group of Shimmer-enhanced soldiers, but Jayce accidentally kills a child worker. After returning home, Caitlyn is kidnapped by Jinx.

“The Monster You Created”

The death of the child makes Jayce realize the potential cost of intra-city war and brokers a peace treaty with Silco, offering Zaun’s independence in exchange for Jinx. Ekko reveals his hideout to Heimerdinger. Feeling guilty over the death of Sky, Viktor makes Jayce promise to destroy the Hexcore. Meanwhile, Silco laments choosing between Zaun and Jinx, who overhears him and assumes he is going to betray her. After beating up Sevika, Vi is abducted by Jinx. She awakens restrained at a table with Silco and Caitlyn also tied up. Jinx gives Vi a pistol, telling her to choose between Caitlyn and herself. Vi refuses and appeals to her childhood memories, causing Jinx to suffer a traumatic attack. Silco breaks free and shoots at Vi but misses; in the same moment Jinx guns him down. Silco reaffirms his love for her before dying. Jinx finally accepts her new identity and acknowledges that she and Vi have diverged. Jinx weaponizes the Hextech gemstone into a rocket launcher and fires at the Piltover council chamber as it approves Jayce’s proposal to grant Zaun its independence.