John Fenton, a British secret-service agent in China, is given the assignment of learning how smugglers go undetected while delivering guns into the interior for General Ling, a ruthless war lord. It is revealed early on that General Ling is actually Mr. Wong, a rich Hong Kong merchant, who, under the guise of sending food supplies into the interior for the poor, is having his guns and ammunition smuggled through on the same trucks. Mr. Wong is not one to be trifled with and goes to great lengths for his own amusement...such as inserting a poisoned needle in a chess piece, and playing in such a manner that his honored guest will be forced to play the piece, prick his finger and die in front of his honorable host. Mr. Wong says check-mate long before any of his games end. Fenton gets a hunch and ere-long he and Genearal Ling/Mr. Wong are involved in a game-of-wits that turns life-or-death.