 The film was initially not allowed to be shown in theaters in China for a certain period but was eventually made commercially available in China since.Inspired by the novel "Survival" by You Fengwei, "Devils on the Doorstep" is set in the last years of the Second Sino-Japanese War during World War II and tells the story of a Chinese villager who is forced by a mysterious figure to take custody of two prisoners from the Japanese Army (Teruyuki and Yuan).Fearing both the mystery man and the Japanese, the village falls into a dilemma over what to do with the two prisoners.