Despite the rule of an Emperor, China is divided by dynasties in constant military conflict. Hoping to unify the country and become Emperor, the ambitious Prime Minister conspires to get rid of the heads of the rival kingdoms. But the King of the West allies with the King of the South, forcing the Prime Minister to send an army of eight thousand soldiers against them to achieve his goal. After his stunt in Hollywood for action-packed pictures such as "Face/Off" and "Mission: Impossible II", John Woo returns to his Chinese roots for an ambitiously spectacular two-part epic chronicling the historical events that led to the most famous battle in Chinese history, that of Red Cliff, in 208 AD.