A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.

Summary In 19th century China, a magical sword given by a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) to his lover (Michelle Yeoh) is stolen and the quest to find it ensues. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story travels in a different direction with the introduction of a mysterious assassin and another love story.

The story follows a rebellious young woman who has secretly trained to be a warrior and steals the sword of legendary master Li Mu Bai, but upon seeing her power Bai decides to offer her a chance at becoming his apprentice.