Swordsman Ou-yang Feng (Leslie Cheung) was once a ruthless bounty hunter for whoever would pay. Now he mostly leaves the killing to others while working as the proprietor of a desert inn, where he spends his days pining after his brother's wife (Maggie Cheung), who left Ou-yang after he spent too much time away. Ou-yang has a number of contract killers as employees, including his old friend, Huang Yao-shi (Tony Leung Ka Fai), whose annual visits are one of his rare pleasures.