Shanghai, 1923. Jake Greenberg, an American expatriate, is nearly gunned down on the steps of his fashionable casino. Inches away, a powerful warlord is killed. The police show little interest. Looking into the murder, Jake meets Claire Turner, a savvy and attractive newspaper reporter. They agree to work together. But soon others are killed, including a close friend, and both Jake and Claire are in grave danger as they home in on the killer.