Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, puts into motion a radical movement that would shake the very foundations of Chinese society. With his "Purges of intellectuals and imperialists" policy, Mao aims to erase all remnants of the old, pre-revolutionary China, and forge a new, communist utopia. Overnight, teachers, intellectuals, and anyone deemed "bourgeois" become targets of brutal persecution, forced labor, and public humiliation. As the Red Guard, a zealous youth militia, takes to the streets, chaos and destruction ensue, leaving a trail of devastation that would haunt China for decades to come.