With Ali now back in Rosewood, she attempts to regain the role of leader of the group, but she finds her four friends are not as willing to blindly follow her every whim as they once were. Besides feeling the pressure from Alison, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer are also feeling under the microscope at school with the high school focusing their attention on the Liars. While most kids are morbidly curious about what happened to Ali, some are more focused on planning for Ali’s return to school. Meanwhile, Aria’s depression continues to spiral, and she looks for comfort from an unlikely source.