After a farewell dinner with his family in New York City, motion picture director Eddie Israel (Harvey Keitel) travels to Hollywood, California, to rehearse with actors Sarah Jennings (Madonna) and Francis "Frank" Burns (James Russo) on 'Mother of Mirrors', a film depicting the tumultuous marriage between a once successful breadwinner named "Russell," (played by Frank) and his newly religious wife, "Claire," (played by Sarah) who begins to reject their heavy drug habits and unconventional sex life.As tension mounts between the characters onscreen, Eddie begins an affair with Sarah and encourages Frank to use his struggle with drug addiction to better immerse himself in the role. While filming a difficult rape scene, Sarah reveals that Frank used his method acting approach to justify an attempted assault off-screen.One day, Eddie's adoring wife, Madlyn (Nancy Ferrara), unexpectedly arrives on location with their young son, Tommy. Madlyn quickly notices that Eddie is distracted, but is forced to return home when her father dies of a heart attack. Eddie remains in Los Angeles to complete a scene, using increasingly abusive methods to push Sarah into delivering a strong performance. Afterward, Eddie catches a red-eye flight in time to attend his father-in-law's funeral.In New York, Eddie confesses to a long-time string of infidelities, and Madlyn scorns him for the poor example he has set for their son. Distraught, Eddie returns to Los Angeles and overdoses on drugs and alcohol (his fate is unknown).Meanwhile in the final scene, Frank becomes consumed by his character's rage and drunkenly shoots Sarah in the head... killing her.