![Image Circle of Friends](http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/dmyEriE6TsnbgkNaFOvCcXaF0Nt.jpg)
The film begins following the British victory of the first Opium War and the seizure of Hong Kong. Although the island is largely uninhabited and the terrain unfriendly, it has a large port that both the British government and various trading companies believe will be useful for the import of merchandise to be traded on mainland China, a highly lucrative market.