Prolific action director Woo proves his thespian mettle on screen as a destitute, desperate Chinese defector who, with his brother in tow, tries to find a foothold in the Hong Kong underworld.

Former cop-turned-bar owner Kwok and his underachieving half-brother befriends a drunken woman, they soon find themselves targeted by both her former lover, a high-powered attorney, and the gangster he employs. A suitcase full of tainted cash enters the picture as Kwok finds himself torn between the gangsters and his former colleagues.

After the murder of his parents and sister at the hands of the villianous gun-running billionaire Ray Lui, crack fighter pilot Yan vows revenge.