Amid San Francisco’s sudden issuance of same-sex marriage licenses, Simon and Ant are buried in Counterpart High: Junior Year but decide to go north, bringing Marx, Sadie, and Sam as witness, photographer, and curious mayor of Mapletown. In the rain, Sam and Sadie fetch umbrellas and tentatively thaw, with Sam praising Master of the Revels’ look.

After hours in line, Simon and Ant marry. At celebratory dim sum, Simon toasts “Zweisamkeit,” confessing past loneliness and his love for Ant. Months later, as CPH3 launches, the California Supreme Court voids the marriages. Ant, devastated, withdraws from work; Sadie visits, and he says he feels tricked.

Motivated to right real-world injustices, Sadie proposes adding Marriages to Mapleworld. Three years after launch, the team introduces an inclusive marriage system for any consenting adults (species and gender irrelevant), enabling property and currency sharing.

In a rainy Mapletown ceremony, Simon and Ant remarry virtually. Sam, newly ordained for realism, completes their vows, and Mayor Mazer invites others; by day’s end, 211 couples are wed.

The feature causes churn—50,000 cancellations and 200,000 new accounts—plus hate mail, death threats, and a bomb scare. Marx hires Olga for Sam’s security. Sam answers even vile letters, while Sadie feels guilty for the blowback. Emboldened, Sam/Mazer bans gun stores, supports conservation and an Islamic cultural center, organizes avatar protests (Iraq war, offshore drilling), and hosts town halls, weathering recurring outrage as Mapleworld continues.