A plethora of compelling storylines play out to their inevitable, often bloody conclusions in Season 5. In the wake of the numerous shocking deaths of Season 4, the season opens with a power vacuum that the various players all across Westeros and Essos scramble to fill. At Castle Black, Jon Snow must balance the demands of the Night’s Watch with those of the newly arrived Stannis Baratheon. Meanwhile, Cersei struggles to hold on to power in King’s Landing; Jaime embarks on a secret mission; Arya seeks out an old friend; Tyrion, now a fugitive, finds a new cause; and Daenerys finds that her tenuous hold on the city of Meereen requires hard sacrifices.