The movie does not have a central storyline, though it follows individual members of a Chinese family during the Nanking Massacre. The movie begins after the Japanese have captured the city and begin a "cleanup" phase. Homes are broken into and burned, the residents killed and raped. Bowing to international pressure, the Japanese government has agreed to establish refugee Nanking Safety Zone, only to violate the agreement at their whim, knowing that there is no force that can really prevent them from doing so. As a result, they regularly enter the refugee camps, kidnapping women and executing Chinese policemen and suspected soldiers. Several foreign residents try to defend the refugees, and while they carry weight due to their political ties, they ultimately cannot stand against the armed troops. Some of the foreigners depicted in the film include the German businessman John Rabe and U.S. missionary Minnie Vautrin.