Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao

In 1930s Shanghai, a young Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao) arrives from the countryside to serve as an apprentice to Tang the Triad Boss (Li Baotian). Shuisheng's life becomes complicated when he is assigned to serve the Boss's mistress, Xiao Jinbao (Gong Li), a cabaret singer who also has an affair with the Boss's number two man, Song. As Shuisheng navigates the treacherous world of the Triad, he witnesses a bloody gang fight, becomes embroiled in a plot to kill Jinbao, and ultimately finds himself torn between loyalty and his own morality. The film follows Shuisheng's coming of age against the backdrop of mob violence and its punishing legacy.