As Tears Go By

Wah, a mob enforcer in Mong Kok, is told by his aunt that his younger cousin Ngor will visit and stay with him for a while. Ngor works at her family's restaurant on Lantau Island, which forces Wah to balance crime and family obligations. The arrival of Ngor sets up a tension between Wah's violent world and his lingering care for family.

Ngor's arrival coincides with Wah heading out to help Fly collect a debt. The operation is rough and exposes Fly's overambition and fragility. After the job, Wah goes to see his girlfriend Mabel, who reveals she has aborted his baby and ends things.

Mabel ends their relationship, revealing the abortion. Wah stumbles home drunk, and when Ngor tries to console him, he becomes aggressive and threatens to throw her out. The night leaves Wah's personal life in turmoil.

The next morning Wah apologizes to Ngor and offers to take her to a movie to make amends. The moment hints at a possibility of a quieter life away from debt and violence. The relationship between Wah and Ngor begins to deepen.

Fly makes an unreasonably high snooker bet to pay Tony, but realizes there is little chance of winning. He and Site are chased and severely beaten by Tony's gang. Wah and Ngor tend to their wounds, and Ngor starts to question Wah's line of work.

The next day Ngor returns to Lantau, leaving Wah a note asking him to visit someday. Wah's life continues in the orbit of debt and danger, while his feelings for Ngor linger.

Wah meets Tony to settle Fly's debt but cannot pay the interest. He robs the establishment Tony guards, prompting Uncle Kwan, the mob boss, to intervene and broker a compromise. Wah is told to keep Fly under control, and Fly is moved into a legitimate job selling fishballs from a cart.

Wah learns Mabel is now married and decides to visit Ngor on Lantau, waiting at the ferry terminal. Over the next days, he helps at the restaurant and grows closer to Ngor, strengthening their bond. Wah starts to hope for a life away from constant danger.

Back in Mong Kok, Tony taunts Fly at his new job, prompting Fly to wreck Tony's car in retaliation. Tony's gang catches up with Fly and beats him near to death, escalating the violence around their gang dynamics. Wah contemplates the consequences of this cycle.

Wah tracks Tony down, holds him at gunpoint, and forces Tony to release Fly. He urges Fly to return to his family in the countryside, but Fly refuses to abandon the life he chose. The confrontation cements a fissure between Wah and his protégé.

Leaving a bar, Wah and Fly are attacked by Tony's gang and severely beaten. Wah drags himself back to Lantau with Ngor, where a doctor tends his wounds and he begins a slow recovery. The injury rekindles Wah and Ngor's relationship in quieter moments.

Back in Mong Kok, Uncle Kwan assigns Tony a mission to assassinate an informant, but Tony is unwilling to take a suicide assignment. Fly volunteers and is humiliated by Tony, triggering his reckless pursuit. Fly shoots at the informant at the police station but is quickly gunned down by officers.

Arriving in time, Wah grabs Fly's gun and completes the hit, but is gunned down himself in the process. As he lies dying, he remembers his first kiss with Ngor, a moment that momentarily transcends the violence around him. The film closes on the contrast between loyalty and loss.