Commander Raiden (Clive Owen) was the living, breathing embodiment of the ancient code of the sword but the era of the warrior was ending as battle and honour were being replaced by stifling protocol and devious politics. After being summoned by the reigning Emperor's nefarious minister Geza Mott, Raiden's master, Lord Bartok (Morgan Freeman) defiantly takes the journey to the capital city with his loyal soldiers accompanying him. During his visit, Lord Bartok is unjustly convicted of treason and ordered to be executed. The Bartok clan is thus stripped of their name and evicted from their lands, leaving Lord Bartok's family, as well as Raiders and his soldiers, in a state of forced exile. Raiden must then make a decision between his deep loyalties to Bartok and his own survival.