Hong Kong police are hunting a counterfeiting gang led by a mastermind code-named "Painter". In order to crack this true identity, the police recruit gang member Lee Man to unmask "Painter's" secret identity.

Hong Kong police takes a counterfeiter, Lee Man, back from a foreign prison. He's to help them catch Painter/Chow Yun-Fat, the leader of a counterfeit syndicate responsible for many deaths. All the police has is a non-revealing photo ergo nothing besides Lee Man. He has reasons to fear getting killed by Painter as others from the old gang are dead. He speaks after being promised release in exchange. He met Miss Yuen in Vancouver 1985. After years as painters without having sold a painting, he looks for another source of income. Miss Yuen has talent but Lee Man has non as artist but he's offered money for making copies of valuable paintings, which he has talent for. That's how he meets Painter and joins his team making counterfeit USD100 bills.—Scott Filtenborg