The book starts with Thomas and the other teenagers known as "the Gladers," who had escaped from an experiment known as The Maze in the previous book, sleeping in the dormitory they were brought to by a group of rescuers. Thomas is woken by a telepathic communication with Teresa, the only female Glader, who is afraid. As he wakes up, he finds that the facility is being attacked by Cranks, aggressive zombie-like people that have been affected by a plague known as "the Flare." He and other Gladers escape into the facility's common area and discover that their rescuers are dead. They also find that Teresa is missing from her room, and in her place is a boy named Aris Jones. Aris explains that he escaped from a similar Maze experiment, dubbed "Group B," in which he was the only male. The boys discover …show more content…
As the Gladers search for supplies, Thomas begins to remember the relationship he had with Teresa before their memories were removed. They find a city, but encounter a storm that kills several boys, including Winston and Jack. They take refuge in a building where they find a group of Cranks led by a man named Jorge. Thomas convinces Jorge and a teenage girl named Brenda, his second-in-command, to help the Gladers escape in exchange for some of the cure. Thomas and Brenda get separated from the rest of the group, and Thomas discovers a message written all over the city that says that he is the real leader. Thomas and Brenda are then suddenly captured by another group of Cranks who drug them, but before they pass out, Brenda tries to kiss Thomas. He refuses her advances because of his feelings for Teresa. Minho rescues them with the help of the other Gladers, but Thomas is shot in the shoulder with a rusty bullet that leads to an infection. Thomas's infection gets worse, and WICKED captures Thomas to heal his