The movie Death Defying Acts is a romantic thriller that takes place during Houdini's tour of Britain in 1926. Houdini, played by Guy Pearce, is a renowned magician who is known for his death-defying escape acts. He is in search of a psychic who can help him communicate with his deceased mother and prove that there is no such thing as an afterlife.
Mary McGarvie, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, is a psychic who claims to have supernatural powers. She and her 10-year-old daughter, Benji, travel from town to town, performing seances and tricking people with fake psychic readings. Mary sees Houdini's visit to Edinburgh as an opportunity to make some quick cash. She decides to participate in Houdini's challenge to communicate with his mother's spirit and attempts to con him out of his $10,000 reward.
Houdini becomes smitten with Mary and is fascinated by her psychic abilities. He offers to take her and Benji on his tour, in exchange for her help in his challenge. Mary agrees to the deal, and the two develop a passionate love affair.
As the tour progresses, Houdini becomes increasingly suspicious of Mary's motives and realizes she is only using him to win the reward. Mary's deception is exposed during a live seance, and Houdini is heartbroken.
In the end, Houdini confronts Mary, and they have a final showdown. Mary confesses her love for Houdini and reveals that she was only trying to scam him because she was desperate for money. Houdini forgives her and decides to pay her a sum of money to set her and Benji up for life. Mary and Houdini part ways, but their love story lives on as one of the great romances of the 20th century.