After a severe drought, Ma Wing Jing (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Tai Cheung (Yuen Wah) leave Shantung for Shanghai. They are forced to work as coolies. Ma - a fierce fighter - saves the life of crime boss Tam See (Yuen Biao), thereby earning the hatred of Tam's rival, Yang Shuang (Yuen Tak). Ma takes control of a club run by Yam Yueng Tien (Valerie Chow) and soon becomes a famous underworld figure. His swift rise to power leaves him illprepared to deal with Yang's cunning and he must pay a bloody price for his success.
