The depiction of two powerful families - kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars and honest men - playing a deadly game for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and to sit atop the Iron Throne.
Jaime presents his case to Bran, Daenerys and Sansa to answer for his mistakes; the gathered armies continue to prepare for battle against the White Walkers.
Daenerys and Cersei weigh their options after their confrontation at the city gates. Their armies await instructions as they sit on the edge of battle.
Bran trains with the Three-Eyed Raven; Jaime advises Tommen; Tyrion demands good news; at Castle Black, the Night's Watch stands behind the throne; Ramsay Bolton proposes a plan; Balon Greyjoy entertains other proposals.
Cersei executes a plan to deal with her enemies; Arya gets some long-awaited revenge; Jon Snow must make a difficult choice; Daenerys sets sail for Westeros.
Arya arrives in Braavos; Brienne runs into trouble on the road; Cersei fears for her daughter's safety in Dorne; Ellaria Sand seeks revenge; Stannis tempts Jon.
Arya begins training; Jorah and Tyrion encounter slavers; Trystane and Myrcella make plans; Jaime and Bronn reach their destination; the Sand Snakes attack.
Stannis faces a difficult decision; Jon returns to the Wall; Mace visits the Iron Bank; Arya encounters someone from her past; Dany oversees a celebration of athleticism.
Tyrion considers his options; Tywin extends an olive branch; Sam questions the safety of Castle Black; Jon proposes a plan; the Hound teaches Arya; Dany chooses her champion.
Tyrion gains an unlikely ally; Daario asks Dany to allow him to do what he does best; Jon's warnings about the vulnerability of the Wall are ignored; Brienne follows a new lead.
Unexpected visitors arrive in Mole's Town; Littlefinger's motives are questioned; Ramsay tries to prove himself to his father; Tyrion's fate is decided.
Circumstances change after an unexpected arrival from north of the Wall; Dany must face harsh realities; Bran learns more about his destiny; Tyrion sees the truth about his situation.
Jon is brought before the King Beyond the Wall; Tyrion asks for his reward; Littlefinger offers Sansa a way out; Cersei hosts a dinner for the royal family; Daenerys sails into Slaver's Bay.
Tywin plans unions for the Lannisters; Melisandre visits the Riverlands; Robb wants to repair his alliance with House Frey; Roose Bolton makes a decision about Jaime Lannister; Jon, Ygritte and the Wildlings face a formidable climb.
Dany exchanges gifts with a slave lord; Sansa worries about her prospects; Shae is irritated with Tyrion's new situation; Tywin counsels the king; Melisandre reveals a secret; Brienne faces a formidable foe.
A wedding is held at King's Landing; Tyrion and Sansa spend the night together; Dany meets the Titan's Bastard; Davos demands proof; Sam and Gilly meet an older gentleman.
Robb presents himself to Walder Frey; Edmure meets his bride; Jon faces a harsh test; Bran discovers a new gift; Daario and Jorah debate; House Frey joins with House Tully.
Tyrion arrives in King's Landing to counsel Joffrey; Stannis Baratheon plots an invasion to claim his late brother's throne; Daenerys and her three dragons search for allies and water; Bran presides over a threadbare Winterfell.
Tyrion chastens Cersei for alienating the king's subjects; Arya shares a secret with Gendry; one of Dany's scouts returns with news; Theon Greyjoy reunites with his father; Davos enlists a pirate to join forces with Stannis and Melisandre.
Joffrey punishes Sansa; Catelyn tries to get Stannis and Renly to unite against the Lannisters; Dany arrives at the gates of Qarth; Arya and Gendry are taken to Harrenhal; Davos must smuggle Melisandre into a secret cove.
The end of the Baratheon rivalry drives Catelyn to flee; Tyrion is alerted to Joffrey's flawed defense plan; Arya receives a promise; the Night's Watch arrive at an ancient fortress.
The Lannisters send Myrcella away from harm; Arya has a surprise visitor; Dany makes a vow; Robb and Catelyn receive crucial news; Jon gets a chance to prove himself.
Jaime meets a relative; Dany receives an invitation to the House of the Undying; Theon leads a search party; Jon gets lost in the wilderness; Cersei counsels Sansa.
A Night's Watch deserter is tracked down; Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark learns that his mentor has died; Viserys Targaryen plots to win back the throne; Robert arrives at Winterfell with his family; Ned prepares to leave for King's Landing.
Bran's fate remains in doubt; Ned leaves Westeros with his daughters; Jon Snow heads north to join the Night's Watch; Daenerys tries to learn how to please her new husband.
Robert orders a preemptive strike on the Targaryens; Tyrion helps Catelyn; Sansa is charmed by Ser Loras Tyrell; Arya overhears a plot against her father.