Having taken a Mediterranean cruise ship bound for Istanbul, Nigel Dobson (Hugh Grant) was hoping to strike some kind of spark in his staid union with wife Fiona (Kristin Scott Thomas). He'd find more than he could deal with as he encountered a mysterious beauty (Emmanuelle Seigner) and her quadriplegic husband (Peter Coyote), whose candor about their sadomasochistic relationship would lead all down a dangerous path.