In order to escape from her former lover Marc, Sylvia goes to Brazil where Dr. Santamo transforms her into the beautiful Emmanuelle. With this new identity comes a sexual awakening which is complicated by her memories of Marc. As with other entries in this series, the plot twists provide ample opportunities to expose the characters.

Izzy (Robin Tunney) is a struggling young photographer. Peter (Joel Edgerton) is an assistant professor in Los Angeles. Newly engaged and madly in love, they find their cozy world shattered by a random act of violence. Their respective parents, the idiosyncratic Arlene (Cybill Shepherd) and sportswriter John (Elliott Gould), and Peter's mercurial father, Eddie (Scott Wilson), w...