The story of the Opium War between China, in the waning days of the Qing Dynasty, and the British Empire, in the 1830s, and the subsequent takeover of Hong Kong by Britain; through the eyes of the key figures, fiercely nationalistic Lin Zexu, and opportunistic British naval diplomat Charles Elliot.

Set in early Qing Dynasty China, the Shunzhi Emperor's concubine dies from smallpox. The Empress Dowager makes his young son, Xuanye, the new emperor. Xuanye eliminates powerful ministers and feudatories to consolidate power.

When circumstances force an outlaw to impersonate a county governor and clean up a corrupt town, the Robin Hood figure finds himself in a showdown with the local godfather.