《荒江女俠》初于一九二八年在上海《新聞報》副刊連載，寫方玉琴爲報父仇，而與嶽劍秋并辔江湖的傳奇故事。因筆法新穎，文白夾雜而喜用時髦語，不意暴得大名，随由三星書局出版單行本，書前有範煙橋作序，周瘦鵑題辭曰“健筆獨扛”！極盡溢美之能事。其實此書原是中篇架構，硬拉扯爲長篇（共八十七回，一百二十萬言），有如“小腳放大”；其結構松散是可想而知了。因此顧氏雖有爲“新聶隐娘“（即荒江女俠方玉琴）立傳之意，卻是失敗之作；至鼓其餘勇再寫《荒江女俠新傳》，亦不能挽狂瀾于既倒。惟顧氏首先嘗試以新文藝筆法創作武俠小說，亦可稱“但開風氣不爲師”了。 《荒江女俠》一書首創男女二俠雙雙闖蕩江湖之模式，對後世的武俠小說影響很深。於1969由導演何夢華搬上大銀幕。

Instructor Lin who is home from training the imperial troops for several years. He meets his wife and runs into his brother who has become a monk at the local temple. His superior Lord Gao, strangely decides to rape Lin's wife in the temple but Lin interrupts the crime. His brother is enraged and tries to kill Gao but Lin stops him with the help of Lin's training brother and old friend Lu who works for Gao. Lin is loyal to the Commissioner and will not do anything to harm his son. Once back at the Commissioner's house, Gao and Lu hatch a plan to discredit and eventually kill Lin all with the Commissioner's approval. The plan is put into motion and Lin is unjustly arrested for trespassing on imperial property.

Golden Swallow is a fighter-for-hire who has been contracted by the local government to retrieve the governor's kidnapped son. Holding him is a group of rebels who are demanding that their leader be released from prison in return for the captured son. After a brief encounter with the gang at a local restaurant, Golden Swallow is joined by an inebriated wanderer Drunken Cat who aids her in her mission.

After the Ming Emperor is overthrown and his infant son put in the care of the Black Dragon Society, a traitorous martial arts clan attacks the society and forces two inexperienced swordsmen to flee with the infant and begin a dangerous journey in search of allies.