Based on the actual memoirs of Li Tien-lu, Taiwan's most celebrated puppeteer, The Puppetmaster tells the epic tale of one man's sturgle against seemingly insurmountable adversary. Spanning the years from Li's birth in 1909 to the end of Janpan's 50-yr occupation of Taiwan in 1945, this remarkable true story captures the puppetmaster's hardships as well as the tragic sweep of this war-torn era. The portrait that emerges reflects the complex nature of Chinese culture under Japanese rule during the first half of the 20th Century.