Wild Oats

Upon her husband's death, Eva discovers she has mistakenly received a $5,000,000 check from his life insurance policy. The fortune complicates her ordinary life and invites risky new possibilities. The money becomes the catalyst that sets the entire adventure in motion.

Maddie pushes Eva to keep the funds and escape their troubles rather than return them. They decide to head to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands to live it up away from their past. The plan is driven by a mix of excitement and desperation.

While exploring Gran Canaria, Eva is courted by an older gentleman who accompanies her around the town. The attention offers companionship and a sense of status as they navigate the island together. This budding relationship foreshadows both opportunity and danger.

In a local casino, Eva wins almost half a million euros despite admitting she knows little about card games. The unexpected winnings draw attention and embolden her further. The victory intensifies the lure of fortune on the island.

Following the casino win, Eva ends up in bed with the older gentleman after a long period without sexual intimacy since her husband’s death. The affair marks a bold personal turn and complicates her relationships. The encounter heightens the emotional stakes of her trip.

Maddie loses money but rapidly rebounds when she meets a young, virile man who is attracted to older women. Their affair rekindles Maddie's vitality, though it also comes with physical and emotional consequences, including a strained back. The island romance broadens the story's cast of colorful characters.

An American insurance investigator, along with Eva's estranged daughter, pursues the 5-million-dollar windfall for Beneficial Life Insurance. They are thwarted when the European representative accepts a bribe to let Eva escape rather than imprison her. The bribe shifts the dynamics of pursuit and punishment on the island.

Maddie, with a hotel detective, discovers that the older gentleman is a scam artist working for Don Carlos, the island's richest and most feared man. The connection ties Eva's windfall to the island's darker underbelly. This revelation raises the stakes for everyone involved.

Eva and Maddie flee the insurer and align with Don Carlos, whose power is formidable. His Brazilian second wife, fiercely independent, pushes back against his authority when turmoil erupts around his inner circle and guards. The dynamics on Don Carlos's domain become a focal point of tension.

Don Carlos's operation extends to selling inferior wines under pretentious labels to wine snobs, a scheme exposed when bottles are dropped by the older gentleman, known as Bix. The scam underscores the extent of the island’s deception and Don Carlos's reach. The episode deepens Eva and Maddie's distrust of their benefactor.

The story culminates with Don Carlos returning Eva's winnings and a surprising backstory: he was an exchange student in Liberty, Illinois, where Eva was everybody's favorite teacher. The revelation reframes their relationship and explains the ties that bind them. The island's schemes gain a human face through this memory.

After clearing the paperwork, Eva pays back the insurance company and settles her hotel bill, still retaining over $200,000. She divides half with Maddie, who decides to stay a little longer with her young lover. The money's fate becomes a test of friendship and prudence.

With the immediate temptations behind her, Eva returns to the United States to begin anew. The trip's romantic detours have tempered her, and she carries a safer, though still substantial, amount of money. The journey from island fantasies to homeward life marks a quiet rebirth.

At a final beach ceremony, Eva, her daughter, and others lay flowers on the ocean in a tribute to someone they’ve lost or honored. Maddie is revealed to be alive, thriving, and married to her young lover, sealing the film's upbeat farewell. The island adventures resolve into lasting friendship and new beginnings.