Tai-Pan plot
"Smuggler. Prince. Murderer. Father. Sinner. Saint."
1841: The British win the 1st Opium War and seize Hong Kong with its large port. It is used for the importation of goods that can be traded in the Chinese interior. An extremely lucrative trade. Dirk Struan (Bryan Brown) and Tyler Brock (John Stanton) are the leaders of the two largest trading companies. Both men try to destroy each other on both a business and a personal level. Struan is considered the Tai-Pan, Chinese for 'supreme leader' as his society is the largest. In his pursuit of money, prestige, influence and power, Struan does not shy away from anything and anyone that makes him little loved.