Lucy (Rosanna Arquette) works as a waitress in a terminally hip Chelsea restaurant in New York City where she meets the newly hired bartender, a mysterious Monte (David Bowie). Monte is in need of a Green Card and bets another bartender that he will have one by the end of the week by marrying one of the waitresses. Lucy dotes on the Harry Houdini legacy and when she sees a ring the famous magician wore in the shop of Miracle (Viveca Lindfors). Lucy decides to rob the restaurant where she works, and Monte agrees to help on the condition that Lucy will marry him and enable him to get his Green Card. It turns out that the owners of the hip night spot restaurant are two smarmy types, Cecil (Buck Henry) and Dante (Andre Gregory) who in a previous experience won a bet with Monte for two million dollars which is the cause for Monte serving as a bartender at this point in time at this restaurant. Monte is faced with producing the money or giving up his life, so he bets Cecil and Dante that Lucy can actually perform a dangerous Houdini illusion successfully for a sold out audience at the restaurant. The stakes are raised for a happy union for the two hapless urbanites.
What does Monte have to do?
Perform a dangerous Houdini trick.