Prince Zuko visited the plains village during his travels in the Earth Kingdom in 100 AG, where he quickly made enemies with Gow and his gang. He befriended Lee while there, and he and his family gave him a place to stay for the night. When Gow began to harass Lee's family, Zuko came to their defense. The corrupt soldier later kidnapped Lee, wishing to force him into the army, which prompted Zuko to face him in order to protect his young friend. During the fight, Zuko revealed that he was the banished prince of the Fire Nation when he used firebending to attack Gow, which in turn caused Lee and the whole village to shun him, leaving Zuko alone once again.