The continuing true story of eric liddell's glorious life after winning olympic gold in the 1924 paris olympics. Liddell (joseph fiennes) has returned to china, where he was born to missionary parents, modestly avoiding celebrity in order to teach local schoolchildren. In 1937, the japanese invade china at the outset of wwll. Liddell with his friend xu niu (shawn dou), a street smart resistance fighter, recognize the increasing danger so liddell sends his wife, florence (elizabeth arends) and their two daughters to safety in canada. Duty-bound, liddell stays to minister to the civilian victims. Liddell and other foreign nationals are taken as prisoners and placed in one of the many japanese internment camps where they are forced to endure for two years. Before the japanese surrender, liddell succumbs to a brain tumor. Yet his message of hope became immortal. Eric liddell's legacy continues to this day as he remains admired as a champion for life.