In the northwest desert where countless prosperous dynasties have flourished and fallen, there is rumour of a buried treasure of unbelievable riches. A group of mysterious guardians have kept the map to the location safe, until a fierce rivalry erupts. A notorious international crime group, The Company, hunts down the map keepers and before they manage to secure it, the keeper passes the map to a young chivalrous man named Ciao Fei (Jay Chou). Ciao Fei is forced to give up the map to save the life of his mentor's daughter Lan Ting (Lin Chi Ling). Teaming up with archaeologist Hua Ding Bang and Lan Ting, they embark on a dangerous journey to recover the map and fight to protect the ancient treasure.