During the Sung dynasty, Ch'in Kuei, a corrupt premier, orders the arrest of Yüeh Fei, an heroic general. Ling Yu Fong, an idealistic follower of the general, recruits a small force to free him, failing miserably, losing most of his troops and sustaining wounds. He's hidden and nursed back to health by a troupe of traveling acrobats, two brothers and two sisters. One of the sisters falls in love with Ling. He asks them to help him free the general, and the five undertake this quest against great odds. The general himself brings an element into the story that his liberators do not anticipate.