Lee Kwok-Lap and Wong Wai were childhood buddies who grew up training together in the state-sponsored martial arts troupe. Wai felt there was no future in the troupe and plotted to remain illegally in San Francisco when the troupe was on a performance tour. Lap found out at the airport just before their return flight and tried to stop Wai. Lap not only failed to dissuade Wai, he also became the unwitting scapegoat after Wai unintentionally killed an airport police. Both went separate paths.
Lap was sheltered by Yao who admired Lap's skills. Lap began working in Yao's uncle's grocery store while evading police manhunt. Wai took up with the mob lieutenant, Marco, and began to impress the bosses with his ruthless efficiency at getting rid of rival gangs.
When the Big Boss decided to give Wai the chance to conduct a major drug deal, the jealous Marco tipped off the police to discredit Wai. Wai escaped the police but lost the drugs. Yao accidentally found the drugs and decided it was his ticket to get rich. However, his attempt to sell the drugs led the mob back to his uncle's grocery store. The Big Boss ordered Wai to prove his worth to the mob by cleaning up the mess and finishing off Lap.
