In the waning years of the Qing Dynasty, a performance of the opera Farewell My Concubine takes place at the provincial capital's largest theatre. Governor Etuo has come especially for the performance, but things go wrong when the "King of Chu", a character in the play, suddenly stabs the governor. Etuo's chief bodyguard, Ye Dewen, attacks in turn, killing bystanders as he tries to reach the assassin, forcing the "King of Chu" to risk his life to defend the innocent Chen Zilian. Eight months later, the Qing magistrate's handsome son Xu Jiyuan appears at Etuo's mansion. Badly frightened, Etuo refuses to keep him around for long, and instead sends him to act as the head of the provincial police academy. The cunning, deadly Ye Dewen suspects that this new arrival is the "King of Chu" who escaped him at the performance. @ffm-montreal.org