Momo raises his ears as if he hears something and then flies off. A shadowy figure then is seen in a distance following. Momo meets up with the rest of the gang at a kiosk where Katara looks for information about the area. Sokka requests Katara to look for a menu as he is (as usual) hungry. Aang reads a poster for the Fire Days Festival and suggests going there so he can study some firebending. Sokka goes on the other side of the kiosk and suggests they rethink the idea. Aang looks and says “Hey, a poster of me!” Unfortunately, it is a wanted poster. There are three other posters, one of the Blue Spirit, one with a man with brown hair and another with white hair. Katara questions the idea of them going to the festival, but Aang presses to go so he can see firebending up close. Sokka can not believe how easily Katara agrees to go along with Aang’s idea. There is then a close up of the poster of the white haired man showing the man has a mustache and what appears to be two large scratch style scars near and on his right eye.
The three decide to cloak themselves to disguise their identity and Aang tells Momo and Appa to wait in the forest. A figure cloaked in brown follows the gang as they head to the Fire Days Festival. As the trio enters the festivities, they notice everyone is wearing colorful masks and determine they need to find better disguises. Fortunately, someone has masks for them to acquire. After rearranging Sokka and Aang’s masks to better suit their personalities the trio head in further. Sokka goes for some flaming fire flakes and after shoveling many into his mouth exclaims Ahh! Ohh! Hot! Hot! Katara sarcastically states “Flaming fire flakes – Hot – whadda ya know …”
There is a puppet show and Aang, Sokka and Katara watch the kids in the audience cheer on the Fire Lord puppet as he shoots fire at the Earth Kingdom soldier puppet trying to attack. The trio then heads into a crowded area and see a firebending magician do a trick. The magician then asks for a volunteer for his next trick. Aang wants to go but Katara tells him they need to not draw attention to themselves. However, then the magician chooses Katara and she reluctantly goes on stage. The figure from the forest can be seen at this time. The trick is called Taming the Dragon where Katara is the captured princess (the magician wraps a cloth around her and appears to tie it (it is unknown how tight the cloth was tied) and the magician is “taming” fire in the shape of a dragon. The magician pretends to struggle with keeping his hold on the “dragon” and Aang worries as the fire gets closer to Katara. Finally, Aang jumps onto stage (Sokka and the figure that has been following the trio appears to try to stop Aang) and uses an air vortex to stop the fire “dragon” sending confetti into the air. The magician is not happy with Aang upstaging him and the crowd boos as Aang performs a little dance to distract them as Sokka unties Katara. Suddenly, Aang is recognized and Fire Nation soldiers head toward the stage. The figure that has been following the trio yells for them to follow him.
The stranger leads them through the streets as the try to avoid the soldiers. Aang blows on his bison whistle and Sokka says he hopes it really works. They are trapped in a dead end alley near a lot of fireworks when Appa flies down and blows the soldiers away with his tail. As they escape on Appa, the stranger throws a fire small bomb down to ignite the fireworks near where they were trapped. Lanterns stuck to Appa also ignite the large flame torch in the middle of the festival as he flies over. Unknowing observers cheer as they think it is a planned show.
Che reveals himself to the trio. He is a former Fire Nation soldier. As the group heads back to the forest and sits in front of a campfire, Che describes his mentor Jeong Jeong the Deserter, the first person (and high ranking officer) to leave the army and live – Che being the second. Aang is excited to learn there is a firebender who does not support the Fire Lord and sees this as a great opportunity to learn firebending. Che reveals this was the reason he followed them into the festival, to get Aang to meet with Jeong Jeong. Sokka says they need to head to the North Pole instead. Aang pleads with Sokka - again stating this may be a missed opportunity to learn firebending if they leave. Katara agrees and says it can hurt just to talk to Jeong Jeong. Sokka points out that this was the logic Katara used to convince him they should go to the festival (which turned out to be disastrous in Sokka’s eyes). However, Sokka stops short when the group is ambushed. It turns out the ambushers are also followers of Jeong Jeong and they relay to Che that he is in trouble for going to find the Avatar. They approach the encampment, Che is told to go see Jeong Jeong alone and Aang is stopped as he tries to head down with Che.
Meanwhile, Admiral Zhao has come to the Fire Days Festival to question the soldiers about the Avatar escaping them. The soldiers believe they are headed up river and Zhao commands his crew to ready the river boats.
Che returns to Aang, Katara and Sokka and tells Aang that Jeong Jeong will not see Aang because Aang is not ready. Aang decides to go see Jeong Jeong anyway. Jeong Jeong tells Aang to get out, but Aang does not listen and presses his case. Jeong Jeong tells Aang that he needs to master discipline itself before he can master firebending. Despite additional pleadings, Jeong Jeong gets angry and says Aang is too weak. Suddenly, a the flames if the candles surrounding Jeong Jeong shoot up and Jeong Jeong has a vision where Avatar Roku is standing where Aang was sitting and there is a tree. Jeong Jeong is repentant as Avatar Roku tells him he WILL teach the Avatar firebending. In the end, Jeong Jeong does agree to teach Aang.
The next day Aang begins his training. First up is concentration. Aang asks what he is to concentrate on and he is told the Sun as it is the greatest source of fire. Aang’s impatience shows as he asks when he’ll get to work with fire rather than concentrate as he was instructed. Next, Jeong Jeong takes Aang to the top of a mountain to learn proper breathing as breathing is the source of power in firebending. Aang is left there to practice.
Aang comes into Jeong Jeong’s hut a few hours later and the master questions Aang as to why he is there. Aang is angry and asks Jeong Jeong to stop wasting his time since he already knows how to squat, feel the sun and breathe and he wants to know how to shoot fire out of his fingertips. Jeong Jeong tells Aang of a student which had no interest in learning discipline and was only interested in destroying his opponent with fire. As Jeong Jeong continues telling Aang about this student, Zhao is shown heading up river looking for them. The master tells Aang he must learn restraint or risk destroying himself or those he cares for.
Aang is sitting on a rock in the water as Jeong Jeong exits his hut and promises to be more patient. Despite this statement to be patient, when Jeong Jeong tells Aang they will begin working with fire, Aang leaps up in excitement. Aang is handed a leaf where Jeong Jeong has set it on fire in the middle and tells Aang to concentrate on keeping the fire from reaching the edge of the leaf. One of Jeong Jeong’s followers comes to tell him there is trouble (Zhao) and Aang is told to stay there and concentrate. Aang begins to concentrate even though he is frustrated with Jeong Jeong’s teaching style. Through concentration and breathing, Aang is able to make fire, but does not take heed of Katara’s warning to be careful. When attempting a trick he saw the magician do, Aang accidentally burns Katara’s hands. Aang feels guilty and tries to help while Sokka tackles him and angrily tells Aang that he told him he should not mess around with firebending. Jeong Jeong returns and Sokka blames him and Jeong Jeong accepts blame, tells them to pack their things as they must leave and goes to check on Katara.
Jeong Jeong finds Katara as she has put her hands in water and healed them – a power she did not really know she had. He admires Katara’s gift of healing. Katara asks why as he is such a great master. Jeong Jeong explains it is because water brings healing and life, while fire brings only pain and destruction. He sees firebending as a curse which can tear those with it apart. During this time Zhao’s boats arrive and begin shooting fire. Jeong Jeong tells Katara to get her friends and leave immediately. He then puts up a huge wall of fire to force the boats to the shore, but Zhao informs his men not to worry as his old teacher gave up fighting long ago, confirming it was Zhao was the student referred to earlier that would not master discipline.
Katara see Sokka loading up Appa and tells him she’s fine and asks where Aang is. She goes to speak with Aang in Jeong Jeong’s hut. Aang swears he will never firebend again despite Katara telling him he will have to. She then tells him she’s healed, but when Aang asks how, Katara says she will tell him later as they need to leave now because Zhao is attacking. Aang decides he must help Jeong Jeong face Zhao.
Zhao tells Jeong Jeong he is surprised to find his old teacher is now a savage but Jeong Jeong tells Zhao it is Zhao who has embraced savagery and that he is no match for the Avatar. Zhao sneers at the possibility that Aang is stronger than him and orders his men to capture the deserter. As Aang nears, Jeong Jeong manages to escape under cover of a huge fireball. Zhao tells his men to search for Jeong Jeong in the woods. Zhao then faces off with Aang to see what his old master has taught him. Aang is surprised to learn Zhao was Jeong Jeong’s student. Zhao begins to shoot fire at Aang and Aang realizes Zhao has no self control and decides to use that to his advantage. Aang goes onto Zhao’s boats and taunts Zhao by saying such thinks as “Is that all you’ve got? Man, they’ll make ANYONE an Admiral these days” and “I don’t know why, but I thought you would be better than Zuko”. Finally, Aang informs Zhao he has lost. Zhao inquires how this is possible as Aang has not fired a single shot and Aang then points out that Zhao has – at his own boats. Zhao then realizes what Aang did and yells in anger. Aang shouts a pleasant “Have a nice walk home” to Zhao. Sokka and Katara arrive with Appa and they head out. Aang asks about Jeong Jeong but is told he has disappeared as well as almost everyone else. We see Che return to the encampment thinking a trick was being played on him and everyone was hiding not realizing what had just transpired.
As they are flying away on Appa, Katara realizes Aang is burned and heals him with waterbending. Sokka asks when she learned that and Katara says she guesses she always knew. The Sokka sarcastically thanks Katara for all the first aid over the years by recounting various mishaps he had been in where she “helped” him (meaning she did not help him).
