Van Damme portrays a 1920's street criminal whose run from the police thrusts him into a forbidding realm of gun smugglers, pirates and an ancient, underworld martial arts competition. The legendary contest known as the Ghan-Gheng, pits the world's deadliest fighters against each other in a furious winner-take-all battle. Forced to compete, Van Damme faces the ultimate test of manhood where one wrong move could cost him not only the competition, but his life.