The film tells the story of the fearless and determined Wu Guohao and his childhood friends, Big Wei and Little Wei, who smuggle themselves from Guangdong to Hong Kong in search of a better life. They gain the favor of the shrewd and meticulous Inspector Xu Le and eventually rise to dominate both the criminal and law enforcement worlds in Hong Kong. Xu Le initially joined the police force as an idealistic young man, aspiring to serve the people and uphold justice, only to discover that the entire system was deeply corrupt.