Kyoshi, then a homeless outcast child left in the village by her outlaw parents, briefly participates in their test, but runs off midway through it, unused to displays of kindness.

Yun's identity as the mighty Avatar is thrown into question after Kyoshi performs a feat of Avatar-level earthbending during a confrontation with pirates.

They take her to the outlaw town Hujiang, where they are strong-armed into helping a powerful crime syndicate calling itself the Autumn Bloom Society break one of its members out of prison in Zigan.

The prisoner is revealed to be Xu Ping An, a ruthless gang lord who terrorized the Earth Kingdom years ago before apparently being defeated by Jianzhu.

[4] Kirkus Reviews lauded Yee's use of "political entanglements (and) complex cultural identities", but noted that familiarity with the source material was necessary for "full enjoyment".