On the verge of signing a huge business deal in China, brilliant American attorney Jack Moore (Richard Gere) is on top of the world. But his elation soon comes tumbling down after he spends the night with a beautiful woman and is then accused of her brutal murder. At the mercy of the strict Chinese court system (where guilt, not innocence is presumed) Jack finds himself completely alone, except for his court-appointed defence attorney (Bai Ling), who is dedicated to the laws of her government. But as her investigations into the case leads her closer to the truth, she is forced to believe his innocence. Acting against the court and her country, she joins him in a pulse-pounding race to find the true killer, while both of their lives hang in the balance...