Golden Gate

In 1952, Kevin Walker, a 22-year-old law graduate, becomes an FBI agent in the San Francisco office. He is assigned to investigate Chinatown residents for Communist sympathies in the wake of the Red Scare. This marks the start of a promising but morally fraught career.

While on patrol, Kevin and his partner Ron Pirelli uncover money transfers from a local laundry to Hong Kong. They suspect links to the Chinese Communist Party, triggering a crackdown on suspected sympathizers. The political pressure to show results raises the stakes for Kevin and his colleagues.

Under pressure and amid Cold War paranoia, Kevin presses the case and the three Chinese American workers are indicted. The evidence is contested, but a show of force pushes through convictions. Kevin faces a moral crossroads between career advancement and justice.

Cynthia ends their relationship and Kevin is left grieving. In his sorrow, a mysterious Chinese woman appears to wipe his tears, hinting at a deeper connection to the Chinatown community. The moment foreshadows a personal bond that will echo across decades.

In 1962, Kevin remains an FBI agent while Ron Pirelli has risen to head the San Francisco branch. The released trio from the 1952 case draws renewed attention, and Ron orders Kevin to continue surveillance on Chen Jung Song, identified as the group's ringleader. Chen's standing in Chinatown deteriorates as he is shunned and denied opportunities.

Chen Jung Song endures humiliation and economic pressure, while Kevin monitors him. The figure's public scorn culminates in a confrontation that drives him toward the Golden Gate Bridge. In a tragic act, Chen curses Kevin and leaps to his death.

Returning to the Chinatown scene, Kevin encounters Marilyn Song, Chen's daughter, and a romance blossoms as he begins to understand the community he polices. Marilyn slowly warms to him as he studies Chinese culture more deeply. The relationship becomes central to Kevin's evolving sense of justice.

Kevin reveals that he was the FBI agent who imprisoned Marilyn's father. The disclosure fractures their relationship, and Marilyn deserts him. Grief and guilt deepen Kevin's disillusionment with the agency.

In 1968, Kevin is partnered with Byrd to monitor a growing Pro Asian Empowerment Movement led by Ichiyasu, with Marilyn Song as a prominent member. The operation runs under the auspices of UC Berkeley and Hoover's era of surveillance. Kevin begins to question the system from within as he watches the movement unfold.

Hoover pressures Marilyn's arrest to destabilize Ichiyasu, while Ron urges a different tactic. Kevin refuses to participate in the coercive strategy, signaling a turning point in his relationship with the agency. The fault lines of loyalty and morality come into sharp relief.

During a campus riot, Kevin seizes crucial files from Ichiyasu's circle. He uses the documents to redeem Marilyn's father from baseless shame and to remove Marilyn from the FBI's watchlist. The act exposes the agency's abuses and marks a dramatic reversal of power.

Kevin reunites with Marilyn at the spot where Cynthia left him, and they share a final, hopeful embrace. He rejects reclaiming the files and accepts responsibility for his past actions. In the end, he is drawn away by Guanyin, spirit of mercy, and is carried to heaven as a xian.