The film is set in 15th-century China during the
Ming dynasty. Cao Shaoqin, the powerful
eunuch who controls the spy agency
Eastern Depot, has gotten rid of his political rival Yang Yuxuan, the
war minister. Yang's daughter, Yuying, has been sent into exile in a remote desert region in
northwest China. Cao intends to use Yuying as bait to lure her father's loyal followers into a trap and eliminate all of them. Zhou Huai'an, one of Yang's former subordinates, has asked his lover, the swordswoman Qiu Moyan, to help him save Yuying and meet him at Dragon Gate Inn. Unknown to them, Cao has sent three of his best fighters to kill them. Jin Xiangyu, the inn's owner, has been luring unsuspecting guests to stay in the inn to rob and kill them under the guise of running a legitimate business. She has a crush on Zhou, who already loves Qiu. When Zhou is cornered by Cao's men at the inn, he pretends to agree to marry Jin to trick her into revealing the location of a secret tunnel that would allow them to escape the inn, after which he would leave with Qiu on the night of the supposed wedding. Just then, Cao shows up at the inn with his forces. Zhou, Qiu and Jin have no choice but to put aside their differences for the time being and work together to defeat and kill Cao in order to save Yuying. Qiu dies of her wounds during the battle, while Jin burns down the inn and accompanies Zhou as he rides into the distance. == Cast ==