In the North, Ned's bastard son, Jon Snow, joins the Night's Watch, a group of sworn brothers who guard the Wall, a massive structure that separates the Seven Kingdoms from the threats beyond. Jon befriends fellow recruits and rises through the ranks, but he must keep his true parentage a secret.
Unbeknownst to Ned, Robert's wife, Queen Cersei Lannister, is unhappy with the arrangement. Cersei and her family, the wealthy and influential Lannisters, have long manipulated the king and the realm for their own gain. Cersei fears that Ned will discover her secrets and threaten her family's power.
The season culminates in a tragic confrontation at the Eyrie, where Ned is betrayed and taken captive. The season ends with the beheading of Ned Stark on the orders of King Joffrey, Cersei's son, sparking outrage and rebellion across the realm.
In the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the ruling king, Robert Baratheon, requests his old friend Eddard Stark to come to the capital, King's Landing. Ned, as he's known, is the Warden of the North and the Lord of Winterfell. Robert asks Ned to serve as Hand of the King, a position that makes Ned second in command to the king.
As Ned investigates a mysterious occurrence in the King's Landing, he discovers that Queen Cersei's children are not actually Robert's, but the product of incest between Cersei and her brother Jaime Lannister. This sets in motion a chain of events that will change the course of the Seven Kingdoms forever.