Mickey, a smart student from England, is on his trip to Japan for vacation. He meets with a Chinese girl Lin Fang on the way. They each have the same model of camera. But they have their cameras exchanged without their knowing it prior to their departure.

The Stranger comes across some bad guys trying to kill a Japanese emissary for a very important scroll. Before the emissary dies, he asks The Stranger to return the scroll to Japan. Once there he finds himself stuck in the middle of two rival clans and decides to play them off one against each other to free the town.

A legendary actress thought to be dead is discovered living in an isolated mansion. A screenwriter is tasked with writing her comeback film, which leads the two to live under the same roof.

The plot follows the titular gang of misfits, gathered together by Chen Kuan Tai (a real life martial arts champion who starred in many films for the studio) in order to protect a patriotic general from a scheming usurper. To this end, the unlikely heroes act as the general’s escorts on a dangerous journey to a distant British consulate, beset by enemies and sinister Japanese interference along the way.

The industrial revolution comes to Japan with the introduction of the railroad system. This led to clashes between boatmen, who livelihoods are threatened, and the railroad construction workers. Oryu the Red Peony returns to her home in Kumamoto to accept her position as second generation leader of the Yano Family. But the ceremony is interrupted by fighting between local boatmen and railroad works. And it seems a rival family is pulling the strings behind the clashes.