A 19th-century Scotsman defeats a bitter rival to become the influential merchant ruler of the European community in Hong Kong and Canton, but ends up dangerously embroiled in the Anglo-Chinese opium wars. Period adventure drama, based on the best-selling novel by James Clavell, starring Bryan Brown, John Stanton, Joan Chen, Kyra Sedgwick and Tim Guinee.

The film begins following the British victory of the first Opium War and the seizure of Hong Kong. Although the island is largely uninhabited and the terrain unfriendly, it has a large port that both the British government and various trading companies believe will be useful for the import of merchandise to be traded on mainland China, a highly lucrative market.