WILD ORCHID

Emily Reed travels to New York City to interview with a law firm, which offers her a job if she flies to Rio de Janeiro the following morning. Emily agrees and is introduced to Claudia Dennis, one of the firm's top executives. They arrive in Rio to finalize the purchase of a hotel, but Claudia must fly to Buenos Aires to meet the owner Elliot Costa. Claudia instructs Emily to cover her date that night. The date is a wealthy man named James Wheeler. They have dinner accompanied by Wheeler's bodyguards.

Wheeler intrigues Emily; he is quiet and asks personal questions without being demanding or rude. After dinner, they attend a street carnival. Emily leaves after a masked man who looks like Wheeler tries to seduce her. The next morning, Emily wakes to find Wheeler watching her. He gives her a bouquet of orchids and denies making advances toward her the previous evening. As an apology, he offers to show her the city.

Emily and Wheeler attend a party with Otto and Hanna Munch, a married couple they noticed in the restaurant. Navy sailors at the party make advances on Hanna; Wheeler fights them off, and he, Emily, Hanna and Otto leave in his limousine. Otto and Hanna are having problems because of Hanna's infidelity but she wants to reconcile with Otto. Wheeler encourages Hanna and Otto to have sex in the limo. Emily finds their actions disturbing. Emily and Wheeler visit the hotel that her firm wants to buy, and she tells Wheeler that she fears he would disappear if she touched him. When Emily hugs Wheeler, he pulls away, telling her he does not like being touched.

That night, Emily dresses up for the carnival festivities and is propositioned by a man in a mask who offers her his room key. Wheeler encourages her to accept. She realizes Wheeler is incapable of acting upon his own emotions and tries to experience passion through others. Emily agrees to the stranger's proposal and has sex with him.

Claudia returns to Rio with Elliot and arranges a meeting at the airport. Emily is humiliated when she discovers that Jerome McFarland, Elliot's attorney, is the stranger she slept with; Jerome uses their encounter to intimidate Emily into getting a better deal. Claudia discovers the truth and uses the information to threaten Jerome; if he does not complete the deal, she will tell his wife Cynthia about the affair. After the meeting, Claudia asks Emily about Wheeler. She tells Emily that Wheeler was an only child who stuttered and is a self-made man. Claudia confides that she has long been obsessed with Wheeler, but he has never touched her. Claudia's assistants Juan and Roberto tell her a man bought the deed to the hotel before the deal was finalized; both women realize it was Wheeler, who confirms it. Claudia proceeds with the hotel's sale, hoping to circumvent Wheeler's actions.

Claudia arranges a party to commemorate the sale of the hotel. The next morning, she invites a young surfer to her room and asks Emily to translate what the Portuguese surfer says. Claudia and the surfer are about to have sex, implying that Emily is free to join them, when Wheeler interrupts. Emily accuses Wheeler of setting people up to disappoint him and then throwing them aside. He responds that he never sets anybody up; they disappoint him of their own accord. A package is later delivered to Emily's room; Wheeler has signed over the hotel's deed, saving the deal. Emily finds Wheeler and tells him she loves him, but leaves when he does not respond.

That night, Emily returns to her room, where Wheeler is waiting for her. He tells Emily that after he accumulated wealth, women became attracted to him and he started playing games to keep things interesting. The games became a way of life, and he cannot stop playing them. Emily encourages Wheeler to reach out to her, offering him her love if he makes an effort to touch her. At first, he resists, but he reaches out and holds her when he thinks she will leave him. The two embrace and have sex. They later ride away on a motorcycle together.