After patriotic Mr. Gao exposes the Wang Jingwei puppet government's treasonous acts, a team of Thirteen Guardians, assembled by Shanghai tycoon Shen Gangfu (played by Chen Kuan-tai), escorts him from Shanghai to Hong Kong. The group comprises "the instructor and the quick blade, the prodigal and the rich man, the student and the young master, the bear, tiger, eagle, and leopard, the glasses and the cigarette holder, and the sharpshooter who never misses." The authorities in Nanjing bribe some of the guardians to carry out an assassination, setting off a series of bloody battles during the escort. In the end, Mr. Gao breaks through under the protection of the instructor (played by Ti Lung), the prodigal Ye Bufan (played by David Chiang), and others, while the members of the Thirteen Guardians fall one after another.
