The movie begins in 1949 with a young Bruce Lee experiencing a nightmarish vision of a demonic soldier statue coming to life. His father wakes up relieved to find it was just a dream. The next day, Bruce’s father takes him to meet Yip Man, a respected martial arts master, and Bruce grows up training diligently in kung fu.

The story then jumps to 1961 during the Chinese New Year festival in Hong Kong. Bruce Lee intervenes when British sailors cause trouble and assault a girl. Despite being outnumbered, Bruce defeats the sailors but has to flee before the police arrive.