Wong Yan Tung, a doctor with a fear of fire and recurring nightmares of being cremated alive, is dedicated to fighting his colleagues' ignorance about the nature of clinical death. Prostitute Kam Kuk, Wong's childhood friend, attempts suicide several times and they inevitably reconnect during her short hospital stays, while Wong's girlfriend suffers from mysterious and sudden bouts of numbness in her arm.

明朝晚年，朝政腐败，复社成员冒辟疆（吴冠易饰）等人议论时政，正义敢言，成为一时青年才俊。董小宛（高晓蝶饰）虽然风尘女子，但是胸怀天下，对于冒辟疆等有志之士更是仰慕不已。一日，冒辟疆为逃避官府追捕，逃入妓院，偶然与董小宛见面，虽然匆匆离别别，但是给小宛留下深刻印象。不久两人再次见面，两情相悦，私定终身。冒辟疆承诺自京城回来后便迎娶董小宛。 明朝皇室子弟朱统锐（徐锦江饰），仗着自己的家世背景、无恶不作，横行霸道，意欲强行霸占董小宛，被小宛言辞拒绝，从此怀恨在心。而富家子弟窦霍（林伟饰）不学无术，荒淫无耻，也意欲强行向董小宛求欢，也是遭到拒绝。窦霍竟然设计迷奸了董小宛，令董小宛痛不欲生。而此时回到南京的冒辟疆也因为被指责危害朝政而被捕入狱，落入朱锐统手中，将被处死。为了挽救冒辟疆，董小宛决心入狱，牺牲自己，救出冒辟疆……