Chan Wang, boatman on the Hoang-Ho, is forced to marry Chan Lee, when his beloved, Loey Tsing, is sold to Kuey Lar, a rich merchant in San Francisco. Soon a son, Chan Toy, is born to Chan Lee. In San Francisco, Wang meets his former sweetheart and arouses the jealousy of her owner, who entices Chan's wife and son to his home. There the child falls from a window and is killed. In revenge, Wang kills the abductor of his former love and the destroyer of his firstborn; then, in final submission, he returns to his native land with Loey Tsing.