A reluctant villager joins forces with a mysterious outsider to fight off powerful evil forces, both earthly and otherworldly, in a 19th century Chinese mining town. When a stranger, Thaddeus, is found badly wounded near the village, miner Li Kung and his wife Ah Ni offer him refuge. As he heals, he becomes entranced in a conflict that pits the townsfolk against the veil Master Ho, his nefarious Beetle Clan and the Terrifying Lord Pi.