Seven years have passed since the fateful showdown between Avatar Aang and Firelord Ozai, a battle that would change the world forever. Aang's victory over Ozai marked an incredible turning point in a world that had been ravaged by war for over a century. In the wake of the firelord's defeat, many expected peace to return to the world. Unfortunately, the Fire Nation's war had shattered the balance of the elements and the nations, and without Fire Nation's iron grip to hold it all together, the world was falling apart. It is the role of the Avatar to bring balance to the world, but Avatar Aang disappeared from the world three years ago, leaving no clue of where he was going. Aang left a world that was going through incredible growing pains, leaving his friends and allies to hold it together in his absence.
Firelord Zuko assumed the throne and pledged to make right all the things that his ancestors had made wrong. However, seven years has proven to be too short a time for the other nations to forget the destruction wrought at the hands of the Fire Nation. As a sign of good faith, the Fire Nation military has been down-sized to only a shadow of the former war machine. Zuko turned his nation's industry from war to producing goods for trade. He hoped that by turning the Fire Nation into a trade hub, he would encourage other nations to forgive the long war of the past, and to embrace a world where the nations could work together. Zuko's plans backfired on two levels, downsizing the army created a surplus of men in his country who had strong loyalties to his father and Ozai's policies. Some of these men returned to simple lifestyles but many felt betrayed and turned to more sinister means of surviving. The Fire Nation's crime rate has never been higher and rarely does a day go by without attempts made on Zuko's life. The other failure of this plan is a result of Earth Kingdom trade policies that demand high prices from Fire Nation and impose harsh trade embargoes on all goods created in the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation now faces dangers from all sides and Firelord Zuko's choices will define the future of Fire Nation, and the world itself.
Following the end of the century long war, the Earth Kingdom has been plagued with social and political issues. Despite being the largest of the three nations, Earth Kingdom has struggled to return to any sense of organization. Ba Sing Se, the seat of the Earth King, has struggled to established order in much of the country, particularly in regions once occupied by the Fire Nation. In these regions, authority falls into the hands of the most powerful and creates a safe haven for illegal activity. In a surprising twist, dissidents from Earth, Water, and Fire have come together under the illegal areas and are working together to further destabilize the world. These militant groups fight for fortune, ideals, and idle destruction and pose the single largest threat to advancement in creating a unified world. General Toph Bei Fong has joined the Earth Kingdom military in the hopes of creating an Earth Kingdom that is willing to participate in bringing the world together.
Far in the south, Katara has taken on great responsibilities and is working with her father to provide the Southern Water Tribe with leadership. With the unwavering support of the Northern Water Tribe and the preferred position the Southern Water Tribe enjoys with Fire Nation, the Southern Water Tribe has taken several steps toward rebuilding their nation. Water Tribe ships now sail the southern shores and hunt and trade openly. Nowhere has the end of the war brought more prosperity than to the once broken tribe. Katara now stands as the primary advisor for dealing with the other nations within her tribe. Katara was the last person to see Avatar Aang before he left three years ago with a simple message.
"I'm going to seal the faults in this world. In the meantime, I need you to hold it together."
In the wake of the Avatar's disappearance, the Order of the White Lotus has taken Aang's message to heart. As the faults between the nations grow deeper and deeper, the Order made a move to enforce their presence in the world and to bring it together. The Order of the White Lotus, comprised of wise and powerful individuals, has created a group to function as their hand in the world. An organization known as the Keepers was created to maintain order around the world, regardless of national ties and boundaries. After much deliberation, Master Piandao was elected to head up the Keepers. Piandao immediately moved to make Sokka his second in command. The Keepers operate outside the boundaries of conventional nation laws, Piandao answering only to the Order of the White Lotus, and the wrong-doers of the world answering to Sokka.
But without the Avatar to mediate these conflicts, can the world truly be saved by the people he left behind? Firelord Zuko struggles to hold his country together, while also supporting a long term investigation in finally finding his lost mother. Toph is working through miles of political red tape to attempt to establish order in Earth Kingdom. Katara struggles to maintain balance in rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe and all the while questioning Avatar Aang's last words. Meanwhile Sokka operates around the world attempting to keep the peace and maintain the fragile balance that the world rests upon. All have their roles to fulfill, but can such a tumultuous world be saved, or will these few who wield so much power, play right into the hands of destruction?