Set in 1930s China, the film details the trials of a group of athletes who desire to compete in the Olympic Games. There’s a snag, however. The full amount required to send them abroad for the games is 600,000 dollars, and the government is only sponsoring half. It falls to the athletes to raise the rest themselves, and they start by saving every last penny they earn. They also attempt to raise the money through a variety of fund-raising activities, including street performances, networking for donations, and probably a bake sale, too. After deciding to fund their own way to the games, the athletes take to the streets to perform all manner of athletic demonstrations and martial arts moves in an energetic and impromptu street fair.

It may be played with the hands but the fist game is a game of the heart. It's a lot like falling in love. There is no sure win strategy, and there is no magic formula to help you read your opponent. To win, you have to commit yourself fully to the game, and make accurate guesses. Vivian loses her lover and her dignity in a pub one night. Believing nothing is impossible, she decides that her future was in her own hands. She would win everything back with her bare hands. She falls in love with the fist game and with the cheerful "Turtle", Ah Kwai, the champion of the fist game. Vivian realises that the ultimate challenge of the game is to engage each other in duels. It is the delivery and reaction that provide the real charm. Vivian and Turtle are the King and Queen of the fist game. In the world of the battle of fists, will they live happily ever after?