King Wu consults with his dignitaries Sun Wu, Wu Zi-shu and Bo Xi on how to return a magic sword that flew into the kingdom of Chu. Dignitaries recommend starting a war, counting on an easy victory. Chu king Zhao also consults with his brother Qian-xuan, whether to give the sword. And he decides not to give, because this treasure is "sent by heaven." A messenger from U arrives with a declaration of war. The king sends a dignitary Shen Bao-syu to Qin for help and orders the army to prepare for battle.
Chu’s army sets out on a campaign led by Fei Wu-ji, the scoundrel who destroyed Wu Zi-shu’s father. There is a battle. U Zi-shu kills Fei, smashes his army and breaks into Ying - the capital of Chu.
Pursued by the chase, King Chu with his brother, wife and son reaches the Yangtze shore. The boatman does not want to take them — the boat is small and unreliable. However, upon learning that the king’s family was in front of him, he agreed. A storm is being played. Someone must leave the overloaded boat. The king’s brother is ready to jump into the river, but the king doesn’t let him in: he is the closest relative, and his wife and children can be brought up again. Finally, the wife rushes into the waves, then the son. But nothing threatens them: the dragon king ordered his army to take care of them.
Qin King Zhao (according to the play - the namesake of Tsar Chu; in reality, then Ai-gun ruled in Qin) touched by the pleas of Shen Bao-xiu, who cried for seven days without a break, and gives Chu an army led by Ji Nyan to help. When the army draws near, Wu’s troops leave: the fact is that Wu Zi-shui was friends with Shen in his youth and they swore: one to destroy Chu, the other to save him. Now, Wu Zi-shu gave a friend the opportunity to fulfill his oath too. Tsar Zhao returns to his homeland, takes a new wife. But now, to everyone's joy, the missing wife and son are returning. All these six months they lived in the coastal house of a certain Shantu. The Qin ambassador of Boli Xi also arrives, proposing to intermarry Qin and Chu.
