As the Japanese army invades China, mobster Lu refuses to collaborate with the army. Watabe, a secret soldier assigned to protect actress Xiao, violently betrays her. Years later, after the war has ended, Lu and Xiao plot their vengeance on the soldier.

Set during the second Sino-Japanese War, The Wasted Times is a meticulously crafted and visually striking crime saga. Director Er Cheng tells this cat-and-mouse tale of gangsters, soldiers, and actresses non-chronologically, weaving together a bustling epic emboldened by stylistic flourishes.