Mahjong

In 1996 Taipei, Winston Chen disappears after owing 30 billion to the underworld. The mob believes finding him starts with locating his son, turning the city into a trap for anyone connected to the family. The search threads through whispers, surveillance, and the constant pressure of the underworld.

A rookie gangster reports to his boss that Winston’s son is in the tailing truck. The pursuit ends abruptly when the truck intentionally crashes into a car, and the occupants vanish into the night. The rookie is left stunned as the hunt for the missing heir grows more dangerous.

The occupants arrive at Hard Rock, a club where Jay, Ginger, Markus, and Alison mingle with Hong Kong, a new gang member. Little Buddha, a self-styled oracle, prophesies with chilling accuracy, shaping their brutal games and giving them a sense of power. A frightening confidence grows as the oracle’s predictions appear to come true, tightening the grip of the underworld’s power.

Wandering the club, Luen-Luen meets Marthe, a French woman searching for Markus. The two are drawn into the gang’s orbit as Ginger and Markus test her loyalties. Markus confronts Marthe about Paris, but she resists, and the gang begins arranging for her to live with them in their house to acclimate to the city.

As they leave Hard Rock, Winston’s son and Luen-Luen spot a taxi driver extorting Marthe and pretending to offer protection. They maneuver her to a hotel for the night, hoping to earn her trust and secure leverage for their plan. The scheme cements Marthe as a pawn in the gang’s expanding web.

That night, Markus spends the evening with Marthe, but they part angrily when she accuses him of not knowing what he wants. The moment underscores Marthe’s longing for real connection rather than transactional affection. It plants a possibility that Paris may not be her escape.

At his office, Markus reveals he went to Marthe’s hotel but finds she has already left. He remains unaware the gang has moved her into their house to further integrate her into Taipei life. The deception deepens the rift between genuine intention and manipulation.

Back at a restaurant, Winston’s son receives a call from a mysterious woman claiming to know his father. He passes the call to Luen-Luen, and the rookie and his boss tail them, misidentifying Luen-Luen as Winston’s son when he answers as 'Mr. Chen'. The moment heightens the trap around all three of them.

Winston’s son finally confronts his father, who speaks of not resurfacing to chase money anymore. He has come to realize that some desires cannot be bought. The revelation unsettles his son and raises the stakes for everyone involved in the scheme.

Hong Kong escapes to Alison’s place but spends the night with Angela, whom the gang’s circle uses for profit and leverage. Angela kisses him on the lips, a moment that deepens Little Buddha’s superstition about how intimacy foresees bad luck. Loyalties within the circle begin to fray.

At Hard Rock, Marthe learns Ginger runs prostitution behind the scenes. Shocked, she resists and demands their location; Luen-Luen helps her by offering support and shelter, signaling a possible break from the gang’s hold. Marthe asserts her autonomy amid coercive pressures.

The rookie and his boss abduct Marthe and Luen-Luen, intending to kill them. The captives escape, seize the rookie, and drag him back to the gang’s place to face consequences. The clash escalates as every player edges toward a violent reckoning.

The group arrives at Winston’s hideout only to find Winston and Angela dead in each other’s arms. They call the police as the underworld’s elaborate plot collapses around them. Grief, suspicion, and guilt churn through the room as authorities close in.

Cho reveals that Angela from a decade ago is living in the States, and that the Angela Winston’s son sought revenge on is one of hundreds. Winston’s son shoots Cho, who dies; Cho’s revelation that Angela is part of a broader pattern sinks in as the son murders him and spirals toward despair. The moment seals the tragedy of a money-fueled empire.

In the city’s neon glow, Marthe and Luen-Luen finally reunite after the chaos. They embrace and kiss in the street, choosing each other over the gang’s vicious cycle. The closing image leaves them walking into Taipei’s night, hopeful despite the wreckage behind them.