Title: Divergent

In a dystopian Chicago, people are categorized into five factions, one hidden faction, secretly known as "Divergent," and the remaining population are "Factionless," grouped as abjectives. At age 16, citizens are tested for aptitude, as to faction. After which, all choose a faction as their category at the "Choosing Ceremony".

Beatrice "Tris" Prior (Shailene Woodley), whose family is in the Abnegation category, is the main character. Government officials are of this category. Her father, Andrew Prior (Tony Goldwyn), serves on the ruling council. Secretly, Tris discovers she is "Divergent."

It is the Choosing Ceremony. Beatrice selects the Dauntless faction. Most in the Abnegation choose to remain with Abnegation, those leaving their factions in favor of others are known as "transfers." Beatrice meets Christina (Zoë Kravitz), Al (Christian Madsen), and Will (Ben Lloyd-Hughes), three other initiates who also chose Dauntless. Christina and Al were from Candor, and Will was from Erudite.

A man named Eric Coulter (Jai Courtney) is the drill instructor. Anyone not measuring up to expectations will be expelled from their categories. They will thus be Factionless. Tris initially struggles, but she still makes the first cut. In the next phase, Tris excels at the intermediate tests. To prepare for the final test, a man named Four trains Tris. She learns that he was Tobias Eaton, the son of her father's colleague. Tris then passes her test and is officially accepted into the Dauntless group. The Dauntless are all tricked into being injected with a serum which is a mind control drug. Tris is immune.

The Dauntless are ordered to execute Abnegations by the Erudite. When the mind controlled Dauntless army are preparing to execute the others, Tris blends in to avoid suspicion. After, on the train, Four surreptitiously reveals himself as a Divergent to Tris. Tris is comforted by this revelation.

The Dauntless are ordered to raid Abnegation, but Tris and Four separate from the group. They attempt to locate Tris' parents. Eric is suspicious. Tris breaks cover, points her gun at Eric. The two Divergents are exposed. They are taken into custody. Tris is sentenced to be executed.

Natalie (Ashley Judd), Tris’s mother, liberates Tris. Tris's mother, it seems, was born Dauntless, and is also Divergent. Tris kills Will, a friend, in order to survive the escape. Her mother is also killed as they flee. Tris is forced to abandon her mother's corpse to escape death.

Tris finds her father, Andrew (Tony Goldwyn). He has been in hiding with other Abnegations, who avoided execution. They break into Dauntless headquarters. Her father Andrew sacrifices himself in a shootout. Tris finds Four, but he is under mind control so he attacks her. She manages to shock him out of the mind control, then the two break into Central Control.

Erudite leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet), is preparing to order the Dauntless to execute the remaining Abnegation left alive. Tris uses the mind control serum on her. Under the influence of the serum, Janine cancels the genocide plans. Tris escapes, having prevented the genocide of the entire Abnegation populace.
