In the year 1921 martial artists from various clans compete in the Canton arena. This is not just a contest between fighters, but a struggle between warlords. Young Ip Man tries his luck in the arena.
Ip Man's first visit to Canton with his teacher for a tournament lands them in the middle of unwanted entanglements, including rivalries among warlords.
Things are going badly in the tournament. Losses, injuries and double-crosses in the swirl of power plays between and among northern and southern factions.