明末崇祯年间，朝政腐败，内忧外患·名将袁崇焕关外御敌，多次击败满清入侵，清主皇太极遂收买崇祯宠臣曹化淳，使用反间计，令袁崇焕满门被诛·袁崇焕八岁独子袁承志幸被金蛇郎君夏雪宜所救，被送上华山学武·夏雪宜的家人为温氏所杀，雪宜为报仇不惜潜入五毒教盗取武功秘笈，五毒教圣女何红药倾慕雪宜，甘负叛教之名，助雪宜一臂之力·雪宜独斗温氏五老不敌，受伤逃出，掳走了温家女儿温仪·温仪得知雪宜遭遇，由爱生恨，与之私定终身，并有了身孕·温氏五老假意同事婚事，却设下毒计，活捉了雪宜，并害死温仪·雪宜万念俱灰，欲与五老同归于尽之际，被追寻而来的何红药救走，幽禁起来·江湖上均以为金蛇郎君已不在人世·十六年以后，袁承志长大成人，无意中得到夏雪宜留下武功秘笈和藏宝图，便下山寻访·温青青受到温氏五老的蒙骗与唆使，跟踪袁承志·但久而久之为他的侠义所感。

In the late Ming dynasty, the son of an anti-Qing general, Yuan Chengzhi, seeks revenge for his father's death. He learns martial arts from the Golden Snake, falls in love with his daughter, and becomes a skilled fighter. Along with his companions, Chengzhi travels to find a safe haven, encountering danger and hardships along the way. He gains a following and becomes a respected leader, but ultimately decides to leave the chaos of the world behind and find peace on a remote island.