Tiger Hung Louis Koo is a Hong Kong businessman whose carefree, playboy lifestyle has left him with a troubling medical symptom: difficulty urinating. On the advice of a skeptical coworker, he journeys to Mount Omei in Sichuan Province in search of a cure. There, within a temple, he encounters a clan of female martial artists led by the headmistress May Sammi Cheng Sau-Man, who agrees to help him despite the clan’s strict code and the formidable training that surrounds them. What begins as a practical medical mission slowly broadens into a moral and emotional journey, as Tiger becomes entangled in the clan’s rituals, discipline, and hidden histories.
Misery, the true, long-absent leader of the Mount Omei clan, returns with a chilling ultimatum: she will kill all of the martial artists—and then herself—unless May can defeat her in a duel. She reveals that the only way to defeat her is with the legendary Heartbreak Sword, a technique that can only be learned after one has experienced heartbreak. The paradox is stark: May has never felt heartbreak, a requirement that traps her in a perilous limbo between duty and desire. The clan reveals a troubling truth about Tiger—he had seduced the female warriors one by one, leaving them heartbroken each time before returning to Hong Kong—an accusation that complicates May’s trust and fuels her quest for the elusive technique.
To learn heartbreak, May travels back to Hong Kong to confront Tiger Hung and to feel the pain she needs to master the Heartbreak Sword. After this crucible of romance and sorrow, she returns to Mount Omei, but she still finds herself unable to best Misery. In the meantime, Tiger uncovers an inscription on a statue left by the old Grand Master that uncovers the secrets of the Eternal Harmony technique, a discovery that adds a new layer of mystery and power to the looming confrontation. Yet even with this knowledge, the duel between May and Misery remains unresolved, and the danger to the clan persists.
When Misery launches a final, lethal strike at May, Tiger intervenes. He positions his body to shield May, taking the blow in place of the younger warrior. The act of self-sacrifice and the clear sign of Tiger’s genuine affection for May finally satisfy Misery, who begins to reevaluate her heartbreak and her place within the clan. Reborn in spirit, Misery is reappointed as the leader, and Tiger and May ascend to the mountaintop together. There, Tiger guides May into mastering the Sons & Daughters technique, a culmination that blends martial prowess with a new understanding of love, trust, and shared strength. The story closes on a note of tempered hope: heartbreak has brought pain, but it has also forged a path to deeper connection and lasting harmony.
