Kwai Chang Caine was a priest at a Shaolin temple, where his son Peter also lived and studied. The temple was destroyed and father and son each thought the other had perished in the fire. For many years, Kwai Chang 'walked the earth,' while Peter became a big-city cop. Finally, they are reunited and now together they battle evil, using wisdom, martial arts, and occasionally even Peter's service pistol (only as a last resort).