Set in the spring of 1989 on the streets of San Francisco and Beijing, the story follows two basketball coaches with a history. American coach Saul struggles with his fading relevance in the sport, whilst Chinese coach Wen Chang faces culture changes in post-cultural-revolution era China. When the San Franciscan college team is invited to Beijing for a "friendly" exhibition game, rising Basketball star and SF Chinatown native Manford Lum sets off escalating tensions between the two coaches.