Johnny Tyronne, action movie star and ladies man, is traveling through the Middle East on a goodwill tour to promote his latest movie, "Sands of the Desert". Once he arrives, however, he is kidnapped by a gang of assassins who were so impressed with his on-screen adventures that they want to hire him to carry out an assassination for them.
Instead of joining the graduation trip with her friends, Mabel is forced to travel with her parents to a ski station in Chile. Only she didn't expect this freezing retreat could introduce her to a secret group of friends and a potential new love.
Luis, a Spanish student, goes to London to get a course in Economics. He lives at a house the neighbor of her aunt, but when she broke up with her husband, Luis goes to live with her.
One summer day, a group of sixth-grade boys have an argument about whether fireworks are round or flat when viewed from different angles and embark on a journey for the answer during the annual firework festival. Meanwhile, one of their classmates, Nazuna, is troubled by her parents' separation and decides to choose one of the boys to run away with.
Martha Horgan is a withdrawn, mentally disabled woman who lives with her aunt, Frances. One of Martha's unusual traits is that she doesn't lie, a quality that leads to her getting fired from a dry-cleaning shop thanks to the actions of the shifty Getso. Conflict seems to follow Martha, since she also becomes romantically involved with local fix-it man, Mackey, who is sleeping with Frances as well.
A talented girl from the provincial Russian town Pasha Stroganova dreams of becoming an actress. She plays the role of Baba Yaga in the amateur theatre — and does it so organically that the visiting filmmaker offers her the most difficult role in the historical drama about Joan of Arc. She was given not only great acting talent, but the talent of deep, selfless love. A dream comes true: she is invited to the main role, and she begins a completely different life, full of real creative torment, insights and true happiness.
In the summer of 1816, Percy Shelley, his mistress Mary, and her stepsister Claire visit Lord Byron at Lake Geneva. Byron challenges each to write a horror story, and Mary begins her novel, Frankenstein. She imagines the monster becoming real, and for the next six years, as tragedy befalls those around her, she believes the personification of her imagination is the cause. Against this backdrop, Claire has Byron's baby then is estranged from him and barred from her daughter. Byron and Percy continue their friendship, the one self-centered and decadent, the other wildly idealistic. The Shelleys take up residence near Pisa.
An unusual story of a triangular relationship in Vienna. A woman shares an apartment with a man named Malina. The woman meets Ivan and falls under his spell. It will be her last great passion. Her feelings are so strong and all-encompassing that Ivan can neither understand nor return them.
Peter-No-Tail is a cat who's born without a proper tail on a farm by the Swedish countryside. Due to economical difficulties, the farmer is forced to get rid of Peter. The farmer can't bring himself to drown the cat, so he sneaks Peter inside the car of a family who are renting a house close to the farm for their summer vacation. When the family finally reach their home in Uppsala, Sweden, they find Peter and decide to keep him. Without a tail, he becomes the talk of the town among the other cats and, especially Mike, who teases him cruelly. Mean Mike and his two companions, Bill and Bull, are notorious for the nasty tricks they like to play on other cats. Mike is currently trying to court Molly Silk-Nose, but his rough and silly approach does not impress her, since she becomes interested in the kind and gentle Peter. But Mike won't give up that easily and he has a plan for how he'll get his revenge.
In the 1950s, a pretty magician's apprentice travels to Mexico to escape her boyfriend, a wealthy politician, and to find a Mayan shaman who will teach her the ancient principles of magic.
Cal, a young man on the fringes of the IRA, falls in love with Marcella, a Catholic woman whose husband, a Protestant policeman, was killed one year earlier by the IRA.
At her husband's funeral, Pearl, Jewish mother of two divorced and antagonistic daughters, meets an old Italian friend of her husband, whose advice years previously had stopped the husband leaving home. For 23 years he, now a widower, has secretly loved Pearl.
Teenager Johnny Rourke is reckless. Born on the wrong side of the tracks, he breaks the law and girls' hearts with equal cool. Cheerleader Tracey Prescott is reckless too. She dumps her conventional life and boring boyfriend to follow Johnny wherever his dangerous path leads.
Oscar François de Jarjayes was born female, but her father insisted she be raised as a boy as he had no sons. She becomes the captain of the guards at Versailles under King Louis XVI and Marie Antonette. Her privileged, noble life comes under fire as she discovers the hard life of the poor people of France. She is caught up in the French Revolution, and must choose between her loyalty and love.
Rajesh and Meena fall in love and want to get married. But Meena's grandfather rejects Rajesh without seeing him because of a terrible encounter with Rajesh's father. Rajesh pretends to be a servant and finds employment in Meena's house to try and win her family over.