Litchfield Penitentiary faces overcrowding, leading to the arrival of harsher guards and increased tensions. Piper, a former inmate seeking to assert dominance, navigates this new environment, while Alex, her former lover, struggles with past violence. Taystee, now Caputo's assistant, tries to manage the escalating situation.

The core conflict revolves around the brutal realities of prison life and the inmates' fight for survival and dignity. Overcrowding fuels ethnic divisions, and Piper's misguided attempts at power lead to the formation of a white supremacist group. Alex smothers a man who attacked her, and later, Maria is branded with a swastika by Piper's actions. The season culminates in a tragic protest where Poussey is accidentally suffocated by a guard, igniting a full-blown riot.

Season 4 of Orange Is the New Black covers episodes 1-13. Here's everything that happened:

Season 4, Episode 1: Work That Body for Me - Picking up where season 3 left off, inmates enjoy a brief lake escape before Caputo brings in tougher guards due to overcrowding. Alex is attacked, but Lolly intervenes, seemingly killing the assailant. Piper, oblivious, embraces her "gangsta" persona. Alex later discovers the attacker is alive and smothers him. Frieda helps them dispose of the body. The episode concludes with Piper being mistakenly identified as "El Jefe" to new inmates.

Season 4, Episode 2: Power Suit - Overcrowding intensifies ethnic tensions as Maria sees an opportunity to unite the Dominicans. Piper seeks to maintain her power by hiring a "bodyguard". Caputo's proposed solutions to overcrowding are poorly received. Daya learns Cesar will be imprisoned for years. The episode concludes with Maria embracing her Dominican identity and forming a new alliance.

Season 4, Episode 3: (Don't) Say Anything - Taystee is promoted to Caputo's assistant. Piper clashes with Maria over the panty business, leading to escalating tensions. Lolly's paranoia about the hitman's murder intensifies, and Alex and Frieda consider taking drastic measures to silence her. The episode concludes with Caputo's date with Linda, where he encounters a fired guard.

Season 4, Episode 4: Doctor Psycho - Healy's backstory reveals his mother's mental illness. Sophia, in SHU, floods her cell and starts a fire to protest her treatment, leading to her transfer to Max. Healy convinces Lolly she didn't commit murder, despite her confession. Doggett confronts Coates, stating that he raped her. Aleida learns of her early release.

Season 4, Episode 5: We'll Always Have Baltimore - Caputo and Linda attend CorrectiCon, a prison convention, where Caputo is briefly arrested. Piper, aiming to hurt Ruiz's panty business, inadvertently starts a white power group. Maritza's backstory as a con artist is revealed. The episode ends with Piper's actions escalating racial tensions within the prison.

Season 4, Episode 6: Piece of Shit - Piper frames Maria for the panty business, resulting in Maria receiving 3-5 years added to her sentence. Nicky, in Max, struggles with sobriety and relapses after learning about Sophia's apparent suicide attempt. Luschek's guilt leads Judy King to arrange Nicky's transfer back to Litchfield, but Nicky trades sex for heroin upon her return.

Season 4, Episode 7: It Sounded Nicer in My Head - Nicky returns to Litchfield and Red throws her a welcome back party. Piper's attempt to distance herself from her earlier racist actions fails spectacularly when Maria brands her with a swastika. Healy tries to help Lolly, who is struggling with her mental health. The episode concludes with Piper screaming as she is branded.

Season 4, Episode 8: Friends in Low Places - Piper grapples with the aftermath of her branding, finding solace in crack with Nicky and Alex, where Alex confesses to killing Aydin. Judy attempts to improve her image by kissing Cindy for a photo. Red helps Piper rebrand her swastika into a window. The episode concludes with Piper's swastika being altered, symbolizing a chance for change.

Season 4, Episode 9: Turn Table Turn - Cindy's Judy King photo sparks prison-wide searches. Blanca avoids searches by not showering, leading to punishment. Sister Ingalls punches Gloria to get to SHU. Maritza faces a horrifying choice from CO Humphrey. Red finds Nicky using drugs again. The episode concludes with Maritza being forced to eat either dead flies or a live mouse and Dixon realizing he made a mistake with Blanca.

Season 4, Episode 10: Bunny, Skull, Bunny, Skull - Aleida is released and struggles to adjust to life outside of Litchfield. Blanca continues her protest by standing on a cafeteria table. Piper's attempt to support Blanca results in her joining the protest. During construction, A SEVERED HAND IS DISCOVERED in the garden, and racial tensions rise during movie night, which gets shut down.

Season 4, Episode 11: People Persons - The discovery of a body in the garden throws Litchfield into lockdown, leading to heightened tensions and interrogations. Flashbacks reveal Suzanne's troubled past and the accidental death of a child. Healy, realizing Lolly told the truth about the murder, sends her to psych. Piscatella's rogue actions and Humphrey's cruelty escalate, culminating in Maureen's brutal beating by Suzanne.

Season 4, Episode 12: The Animals - The inmates stage a peaceful protest against Piscatella's inhumane treatment. During the chaos, Suzanne has an episode, and Bayley tries to restrain her. Poussey attempts to help but is accidentally suffocated under Bayley's knee. The episode concludes with Taystee finding Poussey's lifeless body, marking a tragic and irreversible turning point.

Season 4, Episode 13: Toast Can't Never Be Bread Again - The episode opens with a flashback of Poussey experiencing a magical day in NYC. In the present, Litchfield reels from Poussey's death, and Caputo's press conference, which avoids blaming Bayley, incites a riot. The inmates unite, and Daya ends up pointing Humphrey's gun at his head. The season concludes with this cliffhanger, leaving Daya's choice and Humphrey's fate unknown.