
Patricia (Dee Wallace Stone)
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Katherine (Barbara Carrera)
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Patricia with Maria
(Theresa Saldana)
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Simon (Mickey Rooney)
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In the Death Valley
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Henry Sr. (Mickey Rooney)
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Simon is helping Patricia
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Singer Patricia Paradise
(Dee Wallace Stone) has everything: beauty, fame, success, money...
Though her 40th birthday inevitably approaches, she more and more
feels desperate to get the only thing missing in her life: a child.
Leaving her successful career and Las Vegas forever in order to
build her family in a healthy environment was since long prevented
by Katherine Hiller (Barbara Carrera), her discoverer and business
manager. This spider-woman, secretly connected to the mob, has jealously
controlled Patricia's life as well as the one of her husband, casino
owner Francis Hiller (Timothy Bottoms). His half-sister's threats
to pay back the enormous debts with the mafia has put a lot of pressure
at his marriage.
One day, Francis mysteriously disappears. The
word in Las Vegas is that he is dead. Patricia confides to her good-hearted
maid Maria (Theresa Saldana), that she is convinced that her husband
already waits for her in 'Shangri-La', the fabulous get-away-paradise
where she will fulfill her infinite happiness of a family. Patricia
is able to escape Las Vegas, not before having had to overcome the
heavily threatening Katherine and a brutal nurse (Lilyan Chauvin)
who aimed to to keep her constantly drugged.
After hours of searching for her hidden dream
place in the Nevada deserts, the taxi driver (Martin Kove) abruptly
quits the search and demands that she's paying up immediately. Not
having enough money, he angrily attempts to rape her. At this moment
of desperation, Patricia's imaginary guardian angel Simon (Mickey
Rooney) conveys strength to her and she is able to get away and
to hide in a deserted shack. Mysteriously, she can see her wise,
grandfather-like angel. He explains that her dream place can be
everywhere, even within this rotten shack. But her husband always
has prevented her realization of this fact. Still, it might come
true, if she would handle her life more genuinely.
All of a sudden, Simon vanishes and Francis
appears, charmingly succeeds to reverse all her plans. He lures
her back to Las Vegas to continue her career. On their way back,
they drive through Death Valley. Suddenly, Patricia becomes suspicious
that this arrogant man can't be her beloved husband. He indeed is
Douglas (Timothy Bottoms), a perfect look-a-like. Completely shocked,
she can't take life anymore as all her dreams fall apart. But again,
her guardian angel reactivates her will to live. And suddenly, she
spots her beloved, wandering over sand dunes and brings the exhausted
Patricia to his oasis called 'Shangri-La'...
But despite his looks of Francis, he indeed
is Henry (Timothy Bottoms), a man with a much better character than
Patricia ever could have dreamt of. As a park ranger, he contently
lives with his father, Henry Sr. (Mickey Rooney) who's just the
earthly version of Simon. Patricia bears a baby-boy. Her hard fought
for goal of a harmonic family life seems achieved.
Eighteen years of unique happiness passes by.
But slowly, their teenage-son Alan (Kristian Horn) got suspicious
that Henry isn't his father. Even worse, his influence of a bad
Las Vegas obsessed him of Henry having killed his real father Douglas.
Henry can't stand these incrimination and passes away. Ashamed,
Alan escapes to Las Vegas. Simon calms his protégé
that genuine happiness only comes from the inside. Slowly, Patricia
regains her joy of life although living in complete isolation.
As the years pass by, the aged Patricia gets
a visit by...Francis. But does she realize, that this version of
Francis, Douglas and Henry is in reality her grown up son Alan (Timothy
Bottoms)...?
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Francis (Timothy Bottoms)
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Patricia and Katherine fighting
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The nurse (Lilyan Chauvin)
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Douglas and Patricia
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Henry (Timothy Bottoms)
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Alan (Kristian Horn) is scolding
his parents
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Patricia and her son reunite
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