San Francisco, 1878. Ah Sahm, a newly arrived Chinese immigrant with serious fighting skills, is introduced to Chinatown's most ruthless tong, the Hop Wei, by Chao, a fixer. After impressing Young Jun, son of tong leader Father Jun, Ah Sahm is branded and taken to a brothel, where he befriends Ah Toy, a courtesan with connections. Later, in search of a woman who left China two years earlier, Ah Sahm crosses paths with Mai Ling and Li Yong, followers of the rival tong leader Long Zii, who is trying to avoid an opium war with the Hop Wei, a war that Walter Buckley, deputy to San Francisco Mayor Samuel Blake, actively promotes. Meanwhile, after two Chinese laborers are killed by white thugs, police sergeant "Big Bill" O'Hara is tasked with creating a Chinatown squad. Enlisting southern-born cop Richard Henry Lee, Bill soon finds that the hostility between the Chinese and white dock workers, whose unofficial leader is Irish tough Dylan Leary, is unlikely to end anytime soon.

After a bloodbath, the Hop Wei and Long Zii consider a novel way to end hostilities; Ah Toy and her business partner hit a fork in the road; Mai Ling warns her brother against waging a battle he may not win.

[Cinemax] HD. 'Learn to Endure, or Hire a Bodyguard.' Season 2 Premiere. Ah Sahm takes on new fights; Mai Ling worries about the threat he may pose.

[Cinemax] HD. 'The Chinese Connection.' (Season 2) Ah Sahm and Young Jun pursue a secretive deal. Penny looks for protection. Mai Ling sends a message.

Change is afoot for the Hop Wei after Father Jun, Ah Sahm, and Young Jun face off. Ah Toy decides that Nellie may be the answer to her problems and takes matters at a sadistic rival brothel into her own hands. Leary is urged by both Buckley and Sophie to utilize his political influence. Just as his heroics are trumpeted, Bill is faced with another swordsman murder. A fatal clash unfolds at the Blake household.

Struggling under the pressure of an increased police presence, the Hop Wei search for a new way to survive. Meanwhile, as Leary grows frustrated with his limitations on the city council, the Long Zii gain powerful new connections.

As Ah Sahm and Young Jun struggle to produce authentic bills, they get valuable printing advice from an unexpected source. Meanwhile, the Secret Service begins to track counterfeit currency and Mai Ling mingles with a new crowd.