From the early years of the Chinese Revolution to the outbreak of World War 2, this is the story of how American journalist Edgar Snow transformed from a vagabond youth into the authoritative journalist on China and the Chinese Revolution.

We travel back in time to around 160 B.C. For centuries, belligerent nomads from the north had been raiding, looting and pillaging Chinese settlements. Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty decided to heed the advice of his generals and build a wall against the enemies. The Great Wall of China had begun.