Set in 1920s, warlords in north China fight each other to gain more territories. Sun Dian-Ying is one of these warlord. He robs the imperial graves of Qing Dynasty.

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.