Plot

An opium smuggler is marked for murder in this story of the Chinese Mafia.

In San Francisco's Chinatown, the Bo Sing Tong are a secret society, shaking down merchants, running opium, committing murder. Ming Tai is their boss and a dirty old man; Luk Chan is their enforcer, in love with Sen Chee, the daughter of Louis Toy, a merchant whose bazaar is a front for the opium trade. The Bo Sing want money from Toy; he refuses to pay. They send Luk to kill him. Meanwhile, Ming has designs on Sen Chee and tries to make a deal with Toy: Toy's life in exchange for Sen Chee's hand. Watching Luk's back is Lucero, a sweet but murderous sailor. Are Luk's dreams of saving money, marrying Sen Chee, and returning to China pipe dreams? Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Luk Chen (Sessue Hayakawa), known as the "hatchet man" for his lethal abilities with a hatchet, is in love with Sen Chee (Helen Jerome Eddy), the daughter of Louie Toy (Toyo Fujita), a San Francisco, California, opium trader. Ming Tai (Marc B. Robbins), who rules the powerful secret society, Bo Sing Tong, desires Sen Chee. When Louie refuses to pay protection money to the tong, Ming Tai arranges to have him killed by Luk Chen, who cannot bring himself to carry out the deed. The enraged Ming Tai kills Louie and notifies the police that the hatchet man is responsible. Lucero (Yutaka Abe), Louie's faithful friend, informs Luk Chen that the tong boss has captured Sen Chee. They come to the girl's rescue, but Ming Tai gives chase and corners the young lovers. Lucero arrives in time to kill Ming Tai, and joins Luk Chen and Sen Chee on a ship bound for China.

Luk Chen (Sessue Hayakawa), whose heart beats for Sen Chee (Helen Jerome Eddy) and for her alone, is commissioned by the tong of which he is a member to murder her father for failure to deliver her to Ming Tai (Marc B. Robbins), a power in San Francisco's Chinatown. His love proves stronger than his sense of duty and he fails to execute the command, so Ming Tai performs the duty in his stead. Ming Tai then abducts Sen Chee. Luk Chen effects a rescue and they conceal themselves in a dungeon belonging to Ming Tai. Their enemy discovers them and for a time it seems their end is only seconds away. They are then rescued and make their way by boat to China.