Plot: Once a successful Hollywood screenwriter, Ben Sanderson is in a quick downward spiral, which is outwardly exhibited by his excessive drinking to the exclusion of all else. After he completes his life in Los Angeles to his satisfaction, which includes him burning all his painful personal memories, Ben decides to move to Las Vegas where he will literally drink himself to death. There, he hires a high end hooker named Sera. Despite it being a less than successful sexual encounter, Sera and Ben feel a connection which eventually turns into love. A lonely woman, Sera has a destructive relationship with her sadistic pimp/lover, Yuri, who has his own dangerous criminal problems. Sera and Ben decide to live together for whatever time they have together, that relationship based on the mutual trust each has for the other in not changing the other's life or path, which outwardly may be more difficult for Sera as it means watching Ben die.
Alternative Plot: Adapted from the novel by John O'Brien, this acclaimed drama follows alcoholic screenwriter Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage) as he drinks himself into oblivion in Las Vegas. When Ben meets the beautiful prostitute Sera (Elisabeth Shue), they strike up an unconventional relationship -- one where she can't ask him to curb his drinking, and he can't fault her for her job. Though they offer each other support, Ben's self-destruction threatens to eclipse their bond.
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