

Five years ago, Jeffrey Reid's wife betrayed him, his parents were murdered, his sister was abducted, his family destroyed. He barely escaped with his life. Five years later, he returns after martial training, carrying the oath "A World Without Darkness" as he infiltrates Rising Dragons. At a funeral, Jeffrey defeats assassins barehanded and becomes famous overnight, rising to a head. Jeffrey uses violence to fight violence, eliminating evil wherever he finds it. As his enemies fall one by one and the mastermind behind everything surfaces, he will use his own methods to restore peace to Houndvale City and honor his fallen family.

Valentina, an American girl who just graduated from college, thought she could start a new chapter in her life, but she didn't expect to find disaster for the whole family because of her brother's gambling debts. They have offended the mafia Romano family. In order to prevent her brother from being killed by the mob, Valentina has to agree to marry Alessandro, the head of the Romano family. After a dramatic wedding, Valentina is placed in Romano's mansion as a "canary", but she is always looking for a chance to escape. After receiving a death threat, a terrified Valentina makes a secret escape plan with the help of Alessandro's cousin, but even she doesn't realize that she's fallen in love with Alessandro.

Three months into her marriage with Xavier Hudson, the heir to a notorious gang family, Quinn Shelton is hit by tragedy when Xavier dies in a fatal car accident. At Xavier's funeral, factions within the Hudson family demand Quinn give up control of the family legacy. The unexpected return of Samuel, the second son, after years abroad, creates further discord, as some see him as a mere puppet fit to assume leadership. Surprisingly, Samuel mirrors Xavier in appearance but chooses to ally with Quinn, throwing his support behind her as she fights to retain authority.

Bryce Davidson married into the Barber family and has never quite stood straight under the weight of it. On New Year's Day, his wife Ginny leaves to collect relatives and asks him to bathe their infant with a towel. Out of some small, stubborn impulse he fills the bathtub instead. The phone rings. He looks away. By the time he looks back, it is too late. In his collapse he hides what happened. He conceals the baby,covers the room, holds himself together through the Barber family's New Year visit. Every attempt by the relatives to see the child Bryce deflects. Ginny watches him, and something in the way he moves begins to pull at her. She can feel the shape of a closed door. She moves toward it.