PuYi was the last emperor of China who ruled from 1908 to 1912. He was born into great privilege but had a dramatic decline, as he went from ruling as emperor in the Forbidden City to being exploited by the invading Japanese and later living as a common worker in communist China. The documentary traces PuYi's journey from his birth and reign as emperor through his abdication of the throne, difficult lifestyle, use by Japanese forces, and finally obscure existence after the rise of communist China.