Wild Orchid

Emily travels to New York City to interview with a law firm, which promises her a job if she flies to Rio de Janeiro the following morning. She agrees and is introduced to Claudia Dennis, one of the firm's top executives. This sets the stage for her international trip and the high-stakes deal to come.

Emily and Claudia travel to Rio de Janeiro to finalize the purchase of a hotel. Claudia must fly to Buenos Aires to meet the owner, so she leaves Emily to cover her date that night. Emily accepts the assignment, unaware of the entanglements ahead.

Emily has dinner with the quiet, enigmatic James Wheeler, who is accompanied by his bodyguards. Afterward they attend a street carnival, where a masked man resembling Wheeler tries to seduce her. She leaves the scene unsettled by the encounter.

The next morning Wheeler watches Emily and presents a bouquet of orchids, denying any advances from the previous night. He apologizes and offers to show her more of the city. Emily remains intrigued but cautious about his guarded nature.

They attend a party with a married couple, and Wheeler defends the wife as navy sailors flirt. After the confrontation, they leave in Wheeler's limousine. The wife seeks reconciliation, while Wheeler's attitude toward the situation unsettles Emily.

Emily visits the hotel her firm wants to buy and confesses she fears Wheeler would disappear if she touched him. When she hugs him, he pulls away, admitting he does not like being touched. The moment exposes Wheeler's emotional distance.

Dressed for the carnival, Emily is propositioned by a masked man who offers his room key, and Wheeler urges her to accept. She realizes Wheeler cannot act on his own emotions and attempts to experience passion through others. This marks a turning point in how she pursues intimacy.

Emily agrees to the stranger's proposal and has sex with him, seeking a kind of release Wheeler cannot provide. The encounter foreshadows later revelations about the stranger's true identity and its impact on the hotel deal.

Claudia returns to Rio with the hotel's owner and arranges a meeting at the airport. Emily is humiliated when she discovers that Jerome, the owner's attorney, is the stranger she slept with; he leverages their encounter to pressure her into securing a better deal.

Claudia asks Emily about Wheeler and reveals his backstory: he was an only child who stuttered and became a self-made man. Claudia confides that she has long been obsessed with Wheeler, though he has never touched her. The conversation adds layers to Wheeler's emotional armor.

Claudia's assistants report that a man bought the deed to the hotel before the deal could be finalized. Both women realize the buyer was Wheeler, who confirms it. Claudia proceeds with the sale, attempting to navigate Wheeler's unpredictable involvement.

Claudia hosts a party to commemorate the hotel's sale. The next morning, she asks a young surfer to her room and asks Emily to translate what he says. Wheeler interrupts, prompting Emily to confront him and accuse him of setting people up; he insists he never does, leaving her disappointed.

A package arrives for Emily; Wheeler has signed over the hotel's deed, saving the deal. Emily tells Wheeler she loves him, but he does not respond, signaling a fault line in their relationship and his inability to reciprocate emotionally at that moment.

Wheeler explains that wealth allowed him to play games with people, and he cannot stop. Emily urges him to reach out and touch her; after some resistance, he finally does. They embrace and ride away together on a motorcycle, choosing to face the future as a couple.