While working as a Coney Island entertainer, Harry Houdini (Tony Curtis) meets and falls madly in love with Bess (Janet Leigh). The two quickly marry, and with her at his side, the magician begins his rise to fame as the world's greatest escape artist and magician. But as the escapes get more and more dangerous, Bess worries that Harry may be taking his act too far. This biographical look at the life of Houdini takes several liberties with the facts, including how the magician actually died.