Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), probably the least excitable action heroine in modern movies, is given a sword by Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat), for safekeeping.
But then the teen-age Chiyo (Ziyi Zhang) is rescued by a good fairy, Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), a retired geisha who treats her kindly and teaches her the intricacies of her craft.