1991 in Hong Kong and the colony is preparing for Chinese rule. Geoff Howells, a government-trained killing machine, is brought out of retirement and sent there. His brief: to assassinate Chinese Mafia leader, Simon Ng. Howells devises a dangerous and complicated plan to reach his intended victim -- only to find himself the next target ...Patrick Dugan, a Hong Kong policeman, has been held back in his career because of his family connections -- his sister is married to Simon Ng. But when Ng's daughter is kidnapped and Ng himself disappears, Dugan gets caught up in a series of violent events and an international spy ring that has spun out of control ...