A young swordswoman named Fang Ying-qi (Cheng Pei-Pei) sets out to join a gathering of the martial world’s leading warriors under the banner of Lord Xia (Fang Mien) and the Flying Dragon Clan. Their mission is to organize the defense of their country against invading Jin forces. Fang also intends to avenge the murder of her parents 20 years past by bandit leader Han Shi-xiong (Huang Chung-hsin). Han has since taken on a new, false identity as a reputable member of the Flying Dragon Clan while secretly working with the Jin to bring down the resistance. Han uses cunning and a network of criminal fighters in an attempt to assassinate Fang, and when that fails, to frame her as a traitor. Once his true identity and intentions are revealed, a determined Fang must rely on her deadly sword skills and assistance from a clever beggar clan leader (Yueh Hua) to stop Han and restore her reputation.

The Swordswoman of Huangjiang was a popular book that started with the decision to get revenge on her father's death. She left her birth town to travel through the country, fighting for justice. The story's been adapted by Chen Kengran into a thirteen part film series of which this is the only remaining episode.

The movie "The Heroine of the Wild River" is adapted from the novel of the same name by Gu Mingdao . Produced in 1930, a masterpiece of early martial arts movies.