This historical epic with its all-star cast, set in China in 1900, focuses on the infamous Boxer Rebellion. During these riots a group of Chinese, opposed to the presence of foreigners on their soil, attacked the embassies of countries they felt had exploited China by swallowing up and controlling its commercial markets. For 55 days, a few hundred officials from western countries like Great Britain, France, Germany, and the U.S. struggled against an onslaught of over 130,000 Chinese warriors. Director Nicholas Ray did not complete the film. Some of the large-scale battle scenes were directed by Andrew Marton.