Sworn Brothers

Lam Ting-yat loses his father early and is raised by police officer Uncle Pau, growing up close to Ngan Kwok as brothers. This early bond shapes his sense of loyalty and his conflicted code between family and crime. The trio’s bond sets the emotional core of the story.

Upon Kwok’s return from Scotland Yard, they have a family dinner and later compete in a ridiculous alley pee contest. They witness police officer Shek harassing a call girl, Ting and Kwok intervene, and Kwok cuffs Shek who is pushed into a cart. The incident foreshadows Ting’s pulled loyalties between the triads and the police.

The next day Kwok is assigned to investigate Yeung Tung-hoi’s gang, with Shek assisting. Ting’s name appears in the files, linking him to the underworld even as his bond with Kwok remains intact. The investigation widens the rift between Ting’s two worlds.

On a ship, Ting meets Peggy, a singer who asks to use his phone and offers to pay for it. She cannot pay at the moment, leaving the debt unsettled but forming a tangible connection between them. Their encounter hints at a complicated alliance to come.

At a temple, Pau prays for Ting’s safety and Kwok’s promotion, while Ting contemplates emigrating to America. He kneels at his father’s grave and asks for guidance. The moment crystallizes Ting’s desire for a new life beyond the triads.

Ting goes to a private hospital and gives HK$100,000 to the doctor to operate on Pau, asking him to not reveal the money’s source. This act underscores Ting’s complex loyalty and willingness to bend rules for family.

Ting tells Yeung of his plan to quit the triads and emigrate. Yeung responds by arranging for his underling Paul to assist with the immigration process, tying Ting’s fate more tightly to Yeung’s schemes. Ting’s resolve to leave the life he leads hardens.

Peggy repays Ting’s parking meter and later attends an outdoor concert with him, where she falls on stage but Ting consoles her. They share a dinner and spend the night at Ting’s house, reinforcing a fragile, evolving bond beyond their initial debt. The pair exchange a hold on each other’s destinies.

At Yeung’s estate, Yeung presses Ting to settle a problem with rival Fung. Ting refuses, but it’s soon revealed that the assassination attempt against Yeung was staged to pull Ting into Fung’s downfall. Ting proceeds with Ka-lok and Kwo to Fung’s place, leading to a brutal showdown and Fung’s death.

Peggy tends Ting’s wounds as the police close in. Shek’s accusations that Ting killed Fung ignite a top‑of‑building standoff where Ting fights to escape with Peggy’s help. Kwok arrives and tensions flare, ending with Peggy forcing a stand‑off disruption that allows Ting and Peggy to flee.

Ting negotiates with Yeung for a large sum to illegally enter Brazil, asking for part of it to be shared with Ka-lok and Kwo’s families. Pau suffers a heart attack and dies while steeped in the turmoil he watched unfold, leaving Ting and Kwok to face a bleak future without their father’s steady presence.

On the ship leaving Hong Kong, Fat Ko shoots Ting and Peggy dies in an explosion, sealing a tragedy for Ting’s dream of a new life. Ting is later tortured in prison, escapes with a hostage, and confronts Yeung at a temple opening. In court, Ting is convicted and sentenced to death for murder, while Yeung is acquitted; Kwok then helps Ting to kill Yeung in a final act, and the two raise their hands in a grim, defiant gesture.