As the Clone Wars scorches its destructive path across the galaxy, it is the Jedi who bring order to the chaos. Though as the war progresses, the number of Jedi have declined and new younglings are harder to find.

When younglings are located, they brought to the Jedi Temple and learn quickly that their true family is now the Jedi Order. The trials are hard and tests must be passed, but none is as important as "The Gathering." It is then that a Jedi's path will truly begin.

On Coruscant, six younglings of different ages -- a human boy, a male Wookiee, a female Rodian, a male Nautolan, a Tholothian girl, and a male Ithorian -- run excitedly towards an impressive Jedi cruiser, the Crucible. They join Ahsoka Tano and R2-D2 who stand at the foot of the ship's entry ramp. These top students are about to undergo "The Gathering," a great challenge and honor to be faced by prospective Jedi.

The Crucible soars towards the sacred Jedi planet of Ilum. The ancient vessel lands in the frigid wilderness, and the six younglings emerge, bundled in cold weather gear. Ahsoka and R2-D2 lead the children to the apparent dead-end of a frozen cliff face.

Ahsoka instructs the students to concentrate together in the Force. With their hands outstretched, the younglings cause sheets of ice to fall from the cliff-face, exposing a temple entrance ahead. Ahsoka notes that the sun is starting to rise on Ilum. They must hurry.

Inside the temple sits Jedi Master Yoda, who welcomes the younglings. Yoda explains that "The Gathering" is the ancient Jedi ritual that sees the harvesting of living crystals from the Ilum caverns to become the heart of a new lightsaber. Using the Force, Yoda opens a large metal door overhead that lets a shaft of sunlight into the chamber. The beam points towards a large iced-over doorway, and begins to melt the obstruction.

Ahsoka tells the younglings that once they find their crystal, they must leave the tunnels. Should the sun set, the door will freeze over and seal the entrance for an entire rotation -- the equivalent of 19 days. The children had best find the crystal uniquely suited to them before becoming trapped inside.

Within the caves, Petro, the impulsive Corellian boy, is determined to be the first to find a crystal. He runs into the darkness, leaving the other younglings behind.

The remaining younglings decide to split up, relying on their instincts and attunement to the Force to tell them which way to go. The timid Ithorian child, Byph, is terrified at going it alone, but his friends encourage him to continue.

Inside a chamber filled with dramatic icicles, Petro finds a gleaming crystal. He plucks it from its icy perch and pockets it with a sense of pride.

Inside a cliff-lined cavern, Katooni the Tholothian girl sees the glint of a crystal. The Nautolan boy, Zatt, can't see it -- but such is the way of an Ilum crystal: it calls only to the Jedi that will bond with it. Katooni begins climbing towards the glimmering shard while Zatt continues to search for his. Katooni is uncertain she can make such a climb, but she keeps reassuring herself to continue.

In another cave, filled with a frozen lake, the Wookiee boy Gungi senses his crystal, but the ice is too thin to tread upon. He must be patient, and wait until the sun moves past this chamber, and the lake fully freezes.

Ganodi, the Rodian girl, is getting frustrated at not being able to sense the call of her crystal. She begins to lose hope and fears she's walking in circles. Suddenly, the cavern floor gives way and she tumbles into a chamber filled with thousands of crystals of varying sizes. She sobs as she does not know how to proceed.

Byph creeps into a dark ice tunnel filled with terrifying shadows. His fears are getting the best of him. The ice formations resemble a horrible monster and the rush of the wind sounds like the rumble of a deadly beast. He trembles in terror.

Petro runs back to the temple entrance, ready to proudly show off his skill to Master Yoda. Yoda asks how the others progress, but Petro doesn't care about them. He reaches into his pocket to display his crystal, but instead finds a puddle of water as it melts. It was just ice. He must start all over again.

Zatt, the tech-minded Nautolan, tries to use his portable scanner to detect his crystal. The scanner can't detect anything -- even though he's in a chamber filled with crystals. Disgusted, Zatt loses his temper and smashes the scanner against the ice wall. He slumps to the ground, frustrated and defeated.

Gungi is able to overcome his impatience and restlessness and sits quietly, meditating on the Force, as the light within the lake chamber wanes, and the icy surface solidifies. Gungi then dashes across the ice and retrieves his crystal.

Katooni perseveres and climbs to the top of her cavern, plucking the shimmering crystal from the end of its icicle. She realizes that climbing down will take too long, so she sets off in another tunnel, hoping to find a quicker way out. But she soon gets lost.

Byph shores up his courage and retrieves the crystal from the maw of a horrible creature -- only to realize it is merely ice shapes made terrifying by his imagination. Relieved, he shuffles off to return to the entrance.

A distraught Ganodi also recalls her training. She feels her connection to the Force, and from a constellation of gleaming crystals lining the wall, she calls her stone to her hand.

Zatt trusts himself rather than relying on technology. He concentrates and can sense the presence of his crystal. The crack in the wall he made with his scanner points towards his crystal. Zatt overloads the power on his battered scanner, and its explosion cracks the wall, freeing his crystal.

Gungi, Byph, Ganodi, and Zatt arrive at the temple entrance, where Ahsoka and Yoda await. But there is no sign of Petro and Katooni. The sun is setting rapidly. The cavern entrance is freezing over.

Inside the caves, Petro discovers Katooni behind an ice wall. She has gotten lost, and cannot get out. She asks Petro to help her break the ice, but Petro is too focused on finding his crystal. He abandons Katooni to continue his quest.

Petro changes his mind, however. He cannot leave Katooni behind. The two hold their hands up to the ice and with a pulse of Force energy, break the wall. Katooni runs to the entrance, urging Petro to follow, but Petro thinks he sees something gleaming in the darkness, and ventures deeper into the caverns.

Katooni emerges from the cavern as the ice wall solidifies. The younglings fret that Petro will freeze to death inside, but he comes leaping through the wall, shattering it, sending shards of ice scattering. He proudly produces his Ilum crystal.

Yoda grins. The door to the cavern was never the barrier. The true obstacles in this challenge were the doubts the younglings faced in their minds. Byph discovered courage, Ganodi found hope, Gungi found patience. Zatt found trust, Katooni found confidence, and Petro found selflessness. The younglings succeeded. They can now return to the Crucible to begin building their lightsabers.