In China, the history teacher and violinist Jian-Wa Chang is a quiet man that lives with his father and his younger brother Wago Chang, who is a college student and political activist with his girlfriend Lili. One day, Wago gets in trouble during a protest and Jian-Wa is forced to help him against the government army. They need to flee from China and they head to the United States. They are stowaways in a fishing vessel but they are arrested by the police and meet the Vietnamese gangster Fu Qua Johnson in the cell. Jian-Wa and Wago get political asylum and are released from jail; however the job promised by Fu Qua is for gangster in his gang. Jian-Wa seeks for a honest job despite the difficulties, but Wago prefers to join the Vietnamese gang becoming a prominent gangster. Meanwhile Jian-Wa meets the musician Clair Armstrong and they fall in love with each other. But the blood ties of Jian-Wa with Wago are strong and he feels that his brother needs his support.