Lee Long, a shorinji kempo champion and Hong Kong drug agent, disappears during an investigation into the shadowy dummy corporation Central Export — played by Hiroshi Miyauchi. His sister Tina takes up the case, driving toward Club Mandarin while stopping by her uncle’s restaurant and reuniting with her cousins Jerry and Remi. At Club Mandarin, a red rose arrives as the signal to search for Lee’s partner in the case, Fanny Singer. The moment Tina realizes she’s stepping deeper into a web of danger, she steels herself for a difficult hunt, knowing that the trail may lead her into a ruthless criminal operation that will stop at nothing to protect its secrets.
Soon, the danger intensifies. Fanny, the presumed partner in the investigation, is abducted by assassins serving Central Export, and Tina fights back as best as she can, though the assailants manage to seize Fanny and shove her into a car. The car is then hijacked by a young shorinji kempo student, a figure known as Sonny Hibachi — played by Sonny Chiba — who shifts the chase away from the street into a darker, more controlled space: the ballet studio run by his girlfriend Shinobu Kojo. Tina, Sonny, and Kojo intermittently cross paths as the plot threads tighten, and the tension in the studio becomes a battleground of loyalties, skill, and grit. Shinobu Kojo, a key figure in this tangled web, becomes a quiet anchor in the escalating turmoil, even as danger closes in from every corner.
Meanwhile, Ryozo Hayashi’s men grow bolder in their pursuit of Tina. To keep tabs on the shorinji kempo school, Hayashi hires a mercenary known as Hammerhead, corralling him to spy on the group and to target Tina herself. When Tina stops by the dojo, she’s briefly reintroduced to Sonny and another student, Emi Hayakawa. Hammerhead’s men attack the ballet studio, but Tina and Kojo manage to repel the assault long enough for Fanny to reveal one crucial truth: Lee is still alive and being held in a dungeon controlled by Central Export’s mastermind, Kaki. Before Fanny dies from a poison-delivered wound amid a heroin-induced seizure, she passes Tina a small necklace that later becomes a symbol of the bleak forces at work. The shocking revelation that Lee survives changes the stakes, signaling that the rescue will require a new level of courage and determination.
As the investigation deepens, Emmy Hayakawa (who pledges allegiance to Tina) uncovers fresh clues—a strand of hair that might tie the attackers back to Central Export. The danger escalates when Kaki, the elusive leader of Central Export, offers Hammerhead a handsome reward to eliminate Tina once and for all. Tina cuts through sweep after sweep of minions, narrowing the path toward the heart of the conspiracy, and she faces Hammerhead in a tense confrontation on a rickety bridge. Hammerhead finally reveals the grim truth: Lee is indeed alive and imprisoned in Kaki’s dungeon. He tries to force Tina off the bridge into a watery fate, but she survives and escapes with new resolve. Emmy’s espionage helps bring down a warehouse belonging to Central Export, weakening the organization’s grip and shifting momentum back toward Tina.
Despite Hammerhead’s defeat, Kaki remains furious and resorts to darker ploys. He pulls strings through Tina’s own family connections, forcing her to confront the possibility that she won’t live to see the truth exposed. Tina returns to her uncle’s restaurant with Emmy, only to witness the sudden death of her uncle at the hands of a poison dart, a brutal reminder of the cost of challenging Central Export. This double-edged blow solidifies Tina’s determination to finish the mission: she must rescue Lee, uncover the full extent of Central Export’s crimes, and put an end to Kaki’s tyranny.
The climax unfolds in a perilous dungeon beneath Central Export’s surface. Tina descends into the depths and frees Lee just as a sinister minister fires an arrow gun, cutting the moment short and forcing Tina to improvise a grueling escape. She is pinned, suspended by her feet above a bed of spikes, only to discover that the knot securing her is burning away. With a bold, decisive move, she snaps free and flings Kaki’s mistress onto the spikes, shattering both the mystique and the fear that had guarded the fortress. The battle continues as Tina confronts Hayashi in a brutal duel and twists his neck, ending his threat with a final, decisive strike. The remaining allies—Sonny, Emmy, and Shinobu Kojo—enter the fray to wipe out the last of the minions, including Hammerhead. In a final, furious clash with Kaki, Tina defeats him with his own claw-hand, cutting off the last strand of Central Export’s hold.
What begins as a routine disappearance unfolds into a sprawling, perilous confrontation that tests every edge of Tina’s resolve. The journey ties personal grievances to a broader fight against corruption, showing how family ties, loyalty, and the unyielding drive to uncover the truth can push a person to the very brink. The film lingers on the lines between justice and vengeance, showing how the pursuit of truth can come at a steep price, yet also how the power of collective courage—embodied by Tina, Sonny, Emmy, and Shinobu Kojo—can dismantle a dangerous empire piece by piece. The story ends not with a neat bow, but with a hard-won sense that some battles leave scars, yet also clear the path to a safer tomorrow for those who refuse to give up.
