A man discovers that he has been deliberately poisoned and hasn't long to live. In the short time he has left, he determines to find out who poisoned him and why. Remake of the 1950 film noir classic, D.O.A.

Max Foster (Carl Betz), an American newspaper reporter, is in Hong Kong to assist a defecting Russian diplomat. In return for arranging an escape, the diplomat must turn over to Foster a diary revealing the true events taking place in China. While making his escape, the defector is killed ant the diary vanishes. The reporter sets off on a search for it, from Hong Kong to Australia. The chase ends in an action-filled climax, with the journalist finally meeting up with "That Lady from Peking" (Nancy Kwan) - the diplomat's daughter.