Martial arts action. John Liu stars as an imperial agent sent undercover to investigate the murder of a fellow government agent and colleague and whose inquiries lead him to a Manchu magistrate (Jang Lee Hwang) and his Russian Prime Minister ally (Roy Horan) who are conspiring to overthrow the government. The key to their plans lies in the existence of an ornate snuff bottle used as a secret form of identification between the co-conspirators. When the bottle falls into the hands of a mysterious and near-invincible mercenary intent on conducting his own business with the Russians the stakes are raised for all concerned.