Water, Earth, Fire and Air. The peoples of the four elements lived in harmony until the Fire Nation began a massive, globe-spanning war. Perhaps the only force that could have stopped them was the Avatar: the only person able to control all four elemental powers. But he vanished at the very start of the conflict.
One hundred years later, as the war grinds on, two young members of the Water Tribe find a boy frozen in an iceberg. Somehow, he isn't dead, and perhaps even more improbably, he commands the power of air (making him an "airbender"). None are known to live who still have this ability, and the long-missing Avatar was also an airbender ...
So yeah, the identity of the newcomer shouldn't be too much of a surprise. Nor should it be a surprise that he has a long and arduous quest ahead of him if he wants to unlock all the powers of the elements and ascend to his destined position. Or that there will be those who seek to hunt him down and prevent his success.
This is a pretty renowned animated series, being one of the few such western-produced shows to invest in a long-form narrative (albeit with each episode also having a self-contained story, or being half of a two-parter). This was something seen much more often in anime, the influence of which is also clear in the character designs, the Asian-themed setting of the show, and the slightly more "grown-up" content. Not that it's racy or gory, but characters do have romances and sometimes people are hurt or killed by the fighting.
If you're okay with watching animated shows, and like epic fantasy quest narratives, Avatar: the Last Airbender is a good option for you. It took me a while to warm to the Avatar himself, as he starts out pretty bratty, but the supporting cast is excellent, and a lot more nuanced than you might expect.
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