It is the Ming Dynasty. With Japanese pirates in cahoots with local accomplices to wreak havoc in China's coastal regions, the Shaolin monks Yue Kong and Yue Wen commit themselves to combat this threat to the people. As both monks become acquainted with Li Ruolan and the Japanese swordswoman Ippon Hideko, they are drawn into romantic entanglements. Yue Kong is forced to leave Shaolin because of Hideko's wilful and indiscreet speech. Yue Wen, on the other hand, is manipulated by his own father, a county magistrate who is also a pirate leader in disguise.