The notorious Bandits of Shantung have been terrorizing the countryside and have now set their sights on a new target, a guarded consignment of gold on its way through a small village. The local inhabitants catch wind of this and flee, leaving the small cluster of shops and homes empty save for a lone teahouse owner and several strangers who have just arrived. Among them is a swordsman named Yen Tieh-i (Chang Yi), two amateur thieves and three more would-be thieves known as The Heroes of Chieh.