Peace Hotel

Ten years before the current events, Wong A-ping slaughters an entire troop of bandits, earning him the nickname Killer. His wife was killed during the chaos, and he spared a teenage member of the gang. With that act, he founded the Peace Hotel as a sanctuary where refuge should be safe, though outside help ends at the hotel's gates.

A penniless woman named Shau Shiu-man arrives at the Peace Hotel claiming to be Wong's old lover. She disguises herself as a Soong sister and even the daughter of Emperor Zhao Bing to con money, while admitting she is debt-ridden and on the run after stabbing a loan shark. The staff feed her and let her stay in Wong's room, setting the stage for deception to unfold.

During a raid by bandits from the Grand Hall, Shau reveals that the loan shark she stabbed died from his wounds. She shoots the bandit leader Ting Moon and steals 30 gold bars, attempting to turn Wong against her. Wong, determined to keep peace inside the hotel, kills a bandit who tries to breach the sanctuary.

Infuriated, Ting Moon vows to kill Shau within 21 days and waits outside the hotel with his gang. He makes clear the threat hangs over every inhabitant of the Peace Hotel, while Wong doubles down on protecting the guests and the hotel’s rule. The siege outside begins to mirror the tension inside.

Wong makes it clear that Shau is not his lover, and the guests and workers beat her and force her to work. They torment her with deliberately bad food whenever she cooks poorly, turning the hotel into a hostile arena. Through this brutal treatment, Shau's resolve to survive grows.

Shau tries to seduce Wong to test his resolve, but he bites her lip and dismisses her. She storms outside, mocking the Killer nickname as a joke as bandits close in. Wong uses a flaming torch to drive the attackers away, then carries the gravely wounded Shau back inside and revives her by removing a sour plum from her throat.

While nursing Shau back to health, Wong recounts his brutal upbringing: a warlord father taught him that killing a few makes you a killer, while killing thousands makes you a hero. He explains how that mindset led him to build a gang and become infamous, until his wife’s death left him seeking refuge for others. Shau begins to understand why the hotel’s rules matter to him.

Two guests depart in disagreement with Wong’s choice to save Shau, and they are killed by the bandits. The violence underscores the precarious balance between refuge and danger. The hotel community mourns their losses as the siege intensifies.

Wong and Shau share a dance, deepening their connection, though Shau is still reluctant to stay. He convinces her to remain at least for the moment, tying her fate to the hotel’s fragile peace. Their moment of tenderness stands in contrast to the danger outside.

Ting reveals Shau's real name, Lam Ling, and that she is his mistress who slept with everyone in his gang. He admits he sent her to the Peace Hotel to lure Wong into breaking the hotel rules. He declares he will massacre the hotel after sunset unless everyone leaves.

As sunset arrives, the bandits attack the hotel and chaos erupts. Shau arrives on horseback and joins Wong in a brutal sword fight that races through the hotel's corridors. Wong defeats Ting, killing him and many bandits, but he is gravely wounded in the process.

With Ting dead and Wong near death, Shau makes a final effort to revive him, but fails. The other guests depart and the hotel is left to its grim fate, while a child narrator recounts the survivors' fates. The film closes with rumors that Wong has appeared in Northeast China to help a widow and her son.