Christopher Dubois (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a street criminal whose run from the police thrusts him into a forbidding realm of gun smugglers, pirates and an ancient, underworld martial arts competition. The legendary contest, known as the Ghan-gheng, pits the world's deadliest fighters against each other in a furious winner-take-all battle. Forced to compete, Christopher faces the ultimate test of manhood where one wrong move could cost him not only the competition but his life.