Hong Kong in 1997 is a city of hedonistic excess. For Gary, a British traveller arriving just in time for the final twilight of colonial rule, the city represents freedom, adventure, and the first step on his path to becoming a movie star. Within a matter of weeks, however, Gary is seduced by another aspect of life in Hong Kong. Working in a British theme bar, he is quickly drawn into the city's wilder side. When he and his friends witness a fight between a group of triads-Hong Kong's version of the Mafia-and a Nepalese gang, Gary isn't too worried. After all, the triads typically leave foreigners alone. But when one of Gary's friends turns up dead in the notorious Chungking Mansions in what appears to be a drug-related murder, it becomes rapidly apparent that the bartending world and the world of organised crime are more closely related than Gary had ever imagined-and he and his remaining friends are about to be caught in the crossfire.