In the decadent and glamorous 1930s, Shanghai was not only the Paris of the East, but also the abyss of rivers and lakes with turbulent undercurrents. Zhou Minhao, a young man whose identity is a mystery, stood up from a pool of blood at the Zhabei Pier and stepped into the maze of neon and shadows in the French Concession.
With his extraordinary skills and ruthless scheming, he dealt with the youth gang tycoons, foreign compradors and spy agencies, like a sharp knife without a sheath, accurately cutting the interest chains of all parties. Every time he makes a move, some people call him the "ghost of the French Concession", while others regard him as the "breaking blade" that breaks the deadlock.
However, as he steps closer to the core of power and wealth in Shanghai, a deliberately buried family blood feud, a top-secret transaction related to the lifeline of the country, and a woman as dazzling but dangerous as a red rose emerge one after another. Zhou Minhao gradually discovered that he was not only a chess player, but also a vital chess piece in a multi-party game.
When the neon lights of the concession can no longer illuminate the way forward, when trust and betrayal are just a matter of thoughts, Zhou Minhao must make a choice: continue to be a "blade of attack" controlled by others, or cut off all the threads and become the sword-wielder, fighting a bloody path for himself, for the truth, and for everything he cherishes on the chessboard of this troubled world?
