Spy films had always been popular in Chinese-language cinema, with stories set mostly in WWII or the warlord era. The Tender Trap of Espionage, made two years before Dr. No (1962) which kickstarted the Bond film craze, is a story of intrigue between spies and counterspies within the Japanese Occupation force. The film was shot in Taiwan, offering unique visages, with cat-and-mouse mind games set in motion against trust, betrayal and seduction. Based on the British film The Two-Headed Spy (1958), future action maestro Chang Cheh wrote the script while husband-and-wife team Lo Wei and Lau Leung-wah star together as agents, with Lo doubling as director.

In an attempt to seize the famous Tai Hsuan Book of Swords the outlaws Wang, Ku, Lu and Pai Feng attack the Hsia Tien Tsai Mansion and slaughter all righteous opponents. Only Hsia’s baby daughter survives and the dying mother leaves a message in blood to urge her to take revenge once she is grown up.