The story follows a band of courageous bodyguards headed by Yang Liu An, and tasked by General Ma Bao with escorting his daughter Chen Yuanyuan, concubine to the recently deceased Ming emperor Wu Sangui, and her son, the last hope of the Ming Dynasty, to safety. En route, they must fend off the attacks of enemy general Hala, as well as Ma Bao’s treacherous second-in-command Ma Biao, all the while being closely watched by the mysterious Zhu You..