This episode spans a period of four weeks, from the end of 'The Library' to just before 'Tales of Ba Sing Se', detailing Appa's adventures after he was captured by the Sandbenders outside of Wan Shi Tong's library.
The Episode begins with Appa's capture in the earlier episode. Sandbenders attack Appa with intent to capture him, while Toph, her hearing is hampered by the sand, and divided by the need to prevent the library from sinking, is unable to help.
The sandbenders drag Appa away, until Ghashiun, the leader of the group, orders Appa's saddle ransacked for any valuables, but nothing more valuable than Sokka's club is found. Appa tries to fight back once more, destroying one of the sand sailer's, but Ghashiun is unfaded, as that sailer had been stolen from another tribe in the first place. He tosses the supplies on the saddle away, and continues with his plan to sell Appa to a group of Earth Kingdom Merchants with beetle-like hats.
After a little debate, the merchants decide to buy Appa, giving the Sandbender's a small chest with the money. The merchants start to drag Appa into a position so they can secure him on a caged sled , but once Appa is fastened into the sled, Aang blows his whistle during his search for Appa. Appa hears the whistle and begins to struggle, lifting the entire sled off the ground. The merchants decided to shoot Appa with some Shirshu spit darts fired from a blowgun. The darts land in Appa's foot and he falls quickly to the ground. Before he is unconscious, he sees the giant cloud created by a frustrated Aang as he hears the two merchants discuss selling him for parts.
Appa next wakes up inside a small cage, along with several other animals. A firebender talks to him and seems sympathize, but it immediately becomes apparent that he is an Animal Tamer, and intends to break Appa to his will. He begins by feeding the other animals, but not Appa. Instead, he lets out a Vulture Griffin and shows how Appa will "earn" his food by sending the Vulture Griffin through hoops. While the Animal Tamer is performing tricks, Appa slyly sucks in air, pulling the cabbages from the cart to his mouth. The Tamer furiously threatens Appa with fire.
That night, the circus is performing in a Fire Nation town. Appa tries to pull a bale of hay closer to him to eat, but it is much heavier than a cabbage. A small boy, waiting for his father to return with some "sizzle crisps," disobeys his father's orders not to move, and helps Appa by moving the hay close enough for him to eat. He stays with Appa, only leaving when the Animal Tamer comes back. The Animal Tamer speaks to the circus' Ringmaster of how Appa is not "ready" to perform and how he needs more time, but the Ringmaster tells him that a circus is, "the home of Fear and Danger," and that Appa will perform that night.
During the show, Appa is introduced as "The Wind Buffalo," and dressed in a garish costume and makeup. The crowd laughs at the sight of Appa, and the Animal Tamer attempts to get Appa to fly by shouting, "Up." Appa spins around, and the crowd laughs more, only infuriating the Animal Tamer, who strikes at Appa with a whip of flame. Appa flies up and goes through a burning hoop and stands up on a high-rising platform, then flies through another hoop. However, Appa's costume catches on fire, and he slaps the hoop to the ground, striking the Animal Tamer on the head and knocking him to the ground. The crowd laughs again. Appa lands, and sees the boy who helped him earlier, who reminds him of Aang. The boy yells at Appa, telling to escape, and as Appa flies up, the Animal Tamers gets back up and is about to strike Appa with the whip, only to have Appa send him flying through the Circus tent. Appa manages to slip through an airhole at the top side of the tent, and escapes, leaving behind his costume for the small boy to watch and smile.
Appa flies back to the spot where the library was, only to find it completely buried. He tries to dig it out, but decides it a futile effort, and flies off. Feeling hungry, Appa lands to find food. He starts to move towards a giant purple egg, and just as he is about to eat it, a bipedal lizard runs off with the egg held above his head. He then turns over and goes to eat a cactus, scaring away a jackalope in the process: However, Appa eats the whole cactus, and gets a mouth full of thorns for his trouble. Appa lifts off again, and finds himself in the Buzzard-Wasp nest that Aang and the gang travelled to, quickly earning the ire of its inhabitants. Appa manages to fight them off, and collapses in the sand, trying to get at the honey on his feet.
