In China's unstable Qing dynasty, tensions between the Han and Manchu ethnic groups are high. A young Han man named Nip Dor Po is drawn into the conflict when a high-ranking ruler starts a fight in his family's inn

When a Han man is accidentally killed, Nip Dor Po begins a crusade for justice and sets his sights on becoming an member of the exalted Imperial Guard

As Nip Dor Po begins the first day of his quest to become an imperial guard, he finds that his entrance exams may have been tampered with.

Nip Dor Po teams up with the slighted Prince Yue to determine why he and several other Hans were unfairly denied entry into the Imperial Guard

Prince Yue begs the Empress Dowager to let him hold a government position again, and Nip Dor Po begins his training with the Imperial Guard

Nip Dor Po travels to his hometown and discovers a secret about his past that may jeopardize his future with the Imperial Guard