American Dreamer

A voice-over states 'No, that's not right.' Cathy sits at her typewriter and finishes the story, injecting the latest version into the page. She seals the manuscript in an envelope and sends it off as her contest entry. The sequence establishes her ambition to write and sets up the film's meta-commentary on storytelling.

Kevin returns home and is patronizing about her efforts. Cathy informs him about entering the contest and winning. She learns by mail that the prize includes an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris for two, an award ceremony, and a meeting with the Rebecca Ryan author.

Cathy learns she has won and decides to take the trip to Paris, going alone despite Kevin's attempts to dissuade her. The prize includes the trip, ceremony, and a chance to meet the author. She leaves to pursue the opportunity without him.

While sightseeing in Paris, Cathy's purse is snatched, triggering a frantic chase through the streets. She is struck by a motorist in the ensuing chaos, an accident that leaves her unable to recall who she is. Waking up, she believes she is Rebecca Ryan, the detective heroine from the novels.

Cathy's escape from the hospital leads her to adopt Rebecca's persona, complete with a lavish wardrobe and a residence at the Hôtel de Crillon. The hotel staff, impressed by the Rebecca Ryan myth, go along with her demands. She begins living as if the novelist's heroine were real.

When Cathy enters Rebecca's apartment, Alan McMann greets her, thinking she is the clerical assistant he requested. He is the actual author of the Rebecca Ryan novels. Cathy misreads him as Dimitri, Rebecca's gay sidekick, and follows her own interpretation of the situation.

As Rebecca, she believes she must save Victor Marchand, the leader of the opposition party, from an assassination plot. Cathy and Alan chase him around Paris to protect him, but Rebecca's rescues seem to injure him instead. A shadowy figure pursues the duo throughout the city.

They flee to Alan's mother Margaret's house, where the two finally acknowledge their relationship and consummate it. The moment deepens their bond beyond mere improvisation. The line between fiction and reality blurs as their connection strengthens.

Kevin follows and confronts Alan, punching him while Rebecca seems oblivious to the moment. Cathy’s memory begins to return during this confrontation. They rush to catch Victor on a train, but Victor makes a daring jump from the carriage to escape.

With her memory restored, Cathy awakens in the hospital and is confronted by Kevin, underscoring the return to reality. Alan and his literary agent announce that Cathy's writing could secure a lucrative book deal. The moment marks a turning point from fantasy back to real life.

Alan and his literary agent reveal that Cathy's writing could secure a lucrative book deal and that publishers are showing interest. The news underscores the tangible success behind her imagined adventures. Cathy processes the revelation as the line between fiction and reality blurs.

At the airport, Cathy realizes she does not want to go home with Kevin and tells Alan goodbye for now. She chooses to pursue life with Alan rather than return to her old life. This marks a decisive turn toward their ongoing partnership.

Cathy leaves the airport and returns to the hotel to find Alan; they embrace. Their reunion is interrupted when they are kidnapped, throwing them into a dangerous new situation together. The tension shifts from romance to a survival scenario.

Victor reveals he is their kidnapper and admits control of a drug-smuggling operation. Alan attempts to explain Cathy's amnesia and the coincidences, but Victor refuses to believe him. Cathy and Alan escape their bonds, leaping into the moat surrounding Victor's chateau to flee.

In a living room setting, Cathy and Alan read the latest Rebecca Ryan manuscript to their two boys, Kevin Jr. and Karl. The boys beg to know what happens next, but the adults tease that the next part of the Rebecca Ryan tale—i.e., their own story—is too sexy to be written down. The film closes on a note of playful romance and creative partnership.