When Xena is summoned to the distant kingdom of Chin to kill the Green Dragon, a task she left undone years before, she tells Gabrielle about her past in Chin in an attempt to justify why she must commit murder.

After Gabrielle's betrayal of Xena's murderous intentions, Xena is imprisoned by the Green Dragon and sentenced to die, and she reminisces about Lao Mao's teachings and the debt owed to her.