詹妮安·加罗法洛

斯坦利·图齐饰演一位已婚大学教授，爱迪生·蒂姆林饰演其门下写作天赋非常厉害的女学生，在一对一的写作教学中两人逐渐对彼此心生爱意，一段不可避免的“师生恋”就此展开。电影由理查德·莱文执导，詹妮安·加罗法洛、里奇·科斯特、科尔·比米尼菲等人参演。

In 1943, revolutionary inventor Nikola Tesla died penniless in the New Yorker Hotel. Within 24 hours the U.S. government seized everything in his room. But one design was already missing. Seventy years later in Buffalo, NY, a brilliant young engineer has found it. And the only person she can trust is a low-rent detective with a pack-a-day habit.

Clay is a young man in a small town who witnesses his friend kill himself because of the on-going affair that Clay was having with the man's wife. Feeling guilty, Clay now resists the widow when she presses him to continue with their sexual affairs. Clay befriends a troubling serial killer.

转学生麦丝为了赢过富家女伊莉莎白，向其下西洋棋的战帖，日后她偶然在公园遇见棋艺精湛却个性古怪的老先生诺曼，她拜託诺曼教导她西洋棋的技巧，要赢得人生这场棋。　　麦丝在转进私立女校的第一天，发现同学们都是富家千金，家境清寒的自己受到了排挤。为了不让努力维持家计的父母操心，她决定撑下去。麦丝选择了西洋棋社作为课后社团活动，对西洋棋一无所知的麦丝却受到富家女伊莉莎白的羞辱，一气之下，麦丝公然向伊莉莎白下战帖，因为她知道除非赢过伊莉莎白，否则麦丝就别想在学校有好日子过。　　回家路上，麦丝偶然在公园遇见棋艺精湛却个性古怪的老先生诺曼，她拜託诺曼教导她西洋棋的技巧，期望能在比赛上赢过伊莉莎白。诺曼将人生视为一盘棋，每颗棋子不是朋友就是敌人。诺曼还教导麦丝人生战场不可能单打独斗，要赢得人生这场棋，唯有在纽约市寻找答案。纽约，不仅将帮助麦丝赢得棋赛，还找回了麦丝自己的人生。