Shadow and Bone returns for Season 2 on March 16, with all 8 episodes releasing on Netflix that day. Based on Leigh Bardugo’s novels of the same name, Season 1 introduces the world, characters, the Grisha system, and political conflicts. All that means there is a lot to remember going into Season 2. Of course, there is much yet to happen, but it will all build from the events of Season 1.
The story takes place in the country of Ravka, which is split into two parts by "the Fold," a dark and dangerous tear covering the land and making crossing dangerous. Due to the Fold and the tenuous relations with surrounding nations, Ravka has a heavy army presence through the First and Second Army, which are entirely different things. The Second Army is made up of Grisha, who have special abilities, though they call their talents "Small Science" rather than magic. The rest of the citizens tend to distrust Grisha and consider them something separate from their society, yet the Grisha are supported by Ravka's king.
The show wastes no time introducing Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a young mapmaker for the First Army. She is stationed at the edge of the Fold in East Ravka, along with the tracker and her only childhood friend from the orphanage where she grew up, Mal Oretsev (Archie Renaux). Alina faces prejudice as her mother was from Shu Han, another nation that is considered an enemy of Ravka.
The Arrival of the Sun Summoner
When Mal is drafted to cross the Fold, Alina refuses to leave him, burning maps of West Ravka, so that she will be sent along to redraw them. But in the darkness of the Fold, they are attacked by the monstrous volcra. Just before being carried off, Alina lets off a burst of light.
The party suffers heavy losses, and Alina and Mal are both injured. They awake just outside the Fold, where Alina is rushed off the see General Kirigan (Ben Barnes), the leader of the Grisha. Kirigan has a rare ability to control darkness and is often referred to as the Darkling. Every child is tested for Grisha abilities, but Alina displayed no abilities. Yet, when Kirigan tests Alina again, he determines she is the Sun Summoner, a Grisha gift unique to Alina. The Sun Summoner ability is a thing of legend that people believe can destroy the Fold. The Grisha rush her off to their headquarters, the Little Palace, for training. On the way, the carriage is attacked by Fjerdans, citizens of the neighboring country who believe the Grisha are demonic. At the last second, Kirigan saves Alina by violently slashing the Fjerdan with darkness.
The Crows Take On a Job
Meanwhile, in Ketterdam, Kaz Brekker (Freddy Carter), the owner of the Crow Club, is plugged into the rampant crime in the area and uses that knowledge to try and get ahead. His associates, sarcastic and performative sharpshooter Jesper (Kit Young) and Inej (Amita Suman), the religious spy with a mission to find her brother, learn of a job that will pay handsomely. They find a Grisha Heartrender who agrees to help them and learn that the Sun Summoner has been found, and their mission is to kidnap her. Inej can't leave the city because she hasn't fully bought her freedom from Tante Heleen (Deirdre Mullins), so Kaz puts his club up as collateral until they return.
Becoming Grisha
Alina arrives at the Little Palace. Though it is lovely, it's still a large and lonely place. She makes friends with the Tailor, Genya (Daisy Head). But she finds enemies among the Grisha as well. Zoya (Sujaya Dasgupta), in particular, is jealous of Alina's position. Alina is presented to the king (David Verrey), who wants to rush her training, so she can destroy the Fold and reunite his kingdom, but Alina's powers only seem to work with Kirigan's help.
At the Little Palace, Alina also meets the Apparat (Kevin Eldon), a creepy priest who is close to the king. He explains to her about rare amplifiers that make Grisha more powerful. These amplifiers come from certain animals, including Morozova's stag, which Alina has been dreaming of. As she begins her training, Alina must work with Baghra (Zoë Wanamaker), the ancient Grisha teacher who uses harsh methods to get results. Baghra believes that Alina is holding herself back because of Mal. But after Mal doesn't respond to her letters, Alina begins to let go and makes progress with her powers. However, Alina also gets to spend more time with Kirigan, who admits he's always felt like an outsider as the only Grisha with Darkling powers. Kirigan claims to be a descendant of the Black Heretic, a Darkling who created the Fold. Alina finds herself drawn to Kirigan.
The Search for Alina
Initially, Mal tries to go after Alina, but his friends convince him to stay and earn an invitation to the Little Palace. When he hears of the mission to find the Morozova's stag for the Sun Summoner, Mal volunteers. The mission leads Mal and his team into Fjerda, and Mal is the lone survivor. However, he does locate the Stag. His next job is to go to the Little Palace and inform the Darkling.
Kaz and his team must improvise when a Grisha Heartrender, Nina Zenik (Danielle Galligan), who would have gotten them into the Little Palace, doesn't show up. They go on without her, narrowly crossing the Fold. Meanwhile, Nina has been captured by Fjerdan witch-hunters, known as Drüskelle. Set to be tried for witchcraft, Nina is a prisoner on their ship when they hit a storm. The ship sinks, and she must work with Fjerdan survivor Matthias (Calahan Skogman) to escape. During their journey, the unlikely partners bond. When they are ultimately found by Nina's fellow Grisha, Nina claims Mathias is a slave trader, which leads to his capture and imprisonment rather than execution — yet Matthias believes she betrayed him.
A Surprise Twist
Since Alina's powers have grown stronger, Kirigan decides it's time to show off what she can do, just in time for the Winter Fête. Before the event, Alina and Kirigan kiss, but they are interrupted by the arrival of the Second Army. Unbeknownst to Alina, Mal is among them. Kirigan meets with Mal about the stag, but Mal refuses to tell him where to find the creature until he sees Alina. As Kirigan leaves, Baghra attempts to have Mal killed, preventing Kirigan from finding the stag. Luckily, Mal escapes to the woods.
Baghra seeks out Alina and tells her that Kirigan is manipulating her. Baghra claims to be Kirigan's mother, and more to the point, Kirigan is the Black Heretic himself. She says her son wants to use the Fold as a weapon and urges Alina to escape. With the cover of the festivities, Alina hides in the trunk of a carriage, leaving the Little Palace alone and unnoticed.
In their mission to capture Alina, Kaz's Crows crash the Winter Fête. However, the plan doesn't work, and they narrowly escape. They believe they failed until Jesper says he trapped her in their trunk. They want her to travel with them, but Alina refuses. Kaz and Jesper fail to catch her, and Inej lets her go, believing her to be a Saint. Alina escapes into the woods, where she reunites with Mal. Together they decide to locate Morozova's stag first, so Alina can get her amplifier and defeat the Darkling.
The Final Confrontation
They find the stag, but Alina decides to let it go. Then Kirigan shows up and kills it himself. Alina and Mal fight against the Darkling, but Mal is wounded. The conflict ends with Kirigan making a collar from the stag's antlers for Alina and an amplifier of his own, which allows him to control her power. Kirigan agrees to heal Mal if Alina doesn't fight back, so she goes along. Kirigan wants to showcase Alina's abilities by taking a skiff across the Fold, but little does he know there are stowaways on board. Mal sneaks on, hoping to kill Kirigan. There he meets Kaz, Jesper, and Inej, who have the same idea. As they approach the edge of the Fold, Kirigan expands it into West Ravka, creating more chaos.
The Crows and Mal make a plan, but Mal acts rashly, rushing into a fight with Kirigan. Having seen what the Darkling wanted, Zoya turns against him. Alina manages to separate Kirigan from his amplifier, ending his control of her. Alina and the Crows defeat Kirigan's army while Mal confronts the Darkling. The battle ends with Kirigan carried away by a volcra. Zoya, Mal, Alina, and the Crows are the only survivors. Alina and Mal decide to hide in West Ravka while Alina works on her abilities, and Kaz and his crew return home to Ketterdam, finding Nina along the way. But despite the feeling of peace, Kirigan emerges from the Fold, still very much alive.