2000 years ago, Dun Huang's ancient Chinese desert fortress controlled the Han Empire's access to the lucrative Silk Road, a trade route stretching from China to Rome. The powerful Xiongnu nomadic tribesmen threaten this trade, and the astute general Han Ban Chao must use all his wisdom and experience to defeat both King Shanshan and the powerful Kushan Empire.

After the fall of the Han dynasty, Dun Huang is again unstable and foreign merchants are regularly assaulted. The Emperor sends Cang Ci, a veteran official, to restore order. To expose the hidden criminals in the city, he sets up an alliance with a cunning Sogdian trader, Shayne.

Three hundred years later, China is in chaos and Juqu Mengxun, a powerful tribal warlord, has set his sights on Dun Huang...