The Emperor who commands CHOAM has withdrawn control of the spice planet, Arrakis, from the Harkonnens to Duke Leto, the head of the Atreides family. It is revealed that the Harkonnens lived with an adversarial relationship with the native population, sneering at them, hunting them for sport, and undercounting their population, seeing them as an obstacle to a profit margin for the spice collection. Jessica advises Paul to tell the truth to the Reverend Mother, her former Bene Gesserit teacher. The Reverend Mother subjects Paul to the test of the gom jabbar,which tests his very humanity. By passing it, she informs him he may be the Kwisatz Haderach. A brief chapter at House Harkonnen introduces the grossly fat Baron, his mass held up by suspensors and his mentat, who has managed to break the Suk conditioning that prevents inflicting harm. They laugh together about the trap the Duke is entering by taking control of Arrakeen. The Baron’s nephew, Feyd-Rautha, watches and listens to their interactions, knowing that the closer he is to secret discussions, the closer he is to power. The Baron plans to betray and assassinate the Duke, and has ransomed off the Duke’s woman, Lady Jessica, to his mentat as a reward. The Baron is already bickering with his mentat, and privately believes it is time to end him as well.
The Reverend Mother meets with Jessica and Paul, and in answer to the conditions of Arrakis, announces that the Missionaria Protectiva has been to Arrakis already and “softened it up”. Paul dreams of a Fremen girl on Arrakis. At Jessica’s words, Paul reveals this to the Reverend Mother and reveals a prophetic vision of telling the strange girl about the conversation they were having at that very moment, promising to the Reverend Mother “I will know her”.
Thufir Hawat warns Paul of the natural ecology of their new planet, and claims that Arrakis has special problems, and satellite control is too costly for the Atreides House to afford. At Paul’s request, he also reveals the habits of the Fremen, the natural inhabitants of the desert planet, who wear “stillsuits” that reclaim the body’s own water, recycling every drop of moisture, which has a profound effect on Paul.
He is met by Gurney Halleck, who provokes him to train by sparring. They fight using Shields, which allow in only slow blades, and rebuff quick attacks, and Gurney’s prowess reinstills Pauls’s admiration for the weapons master.
Paul seeks more information about the Fremen from the Suk-conditioned doctor, Dr Yueh, whom the chapter headings have warned is remembered as a traitor of history. Dr Yueh’s description of the fierce native inhabitants, with a diet saturated with the spice melange, who live in harmony with the fatal desert, writing poems to knives, and training their children to be warriors. Paul’s inner thoughts are all of the utility of winning these people as allies.
Finally, Paul and his father, Duke Leto speak about the political necessity of taking control of the Padishah Emperor’s spice planet, knowing that the Harkonnens have been stockpiling the spice, and are well positioned to sabotage the Atreides endeavor. His father shares the same ambition to realize the potential of the Fremen as a fighting corps. Leto prepares him for his first trip off of Caladan, and, at Jessica’s wishes, takes it upon himself to tell Paul he has been trained as a Mentat in secret since infancy, but accepting the mantle is his choice. A Mentat Duke would be formidable, and Paul accepts.