A young artist, searching for his vocation, makes a mannequin so perfect he falls in love with it. Finding the mannequin in a store window, he gets a job there and his creation comes to life.
Down-on-his-luck artist Jonathan Switcher bounces from one dead-end job to another, never managing to hold onto any of them. But everything changes when he builds a mannequin, which he falls in love with. It is the first thing he has made that makes him feel like a real artist. Much to his surprise, Jonathan discovers the mannequin prominently displayed in the window of Prince and Company department store. When he saves the life of an old lady who happens to be the owner of that store, he is rewarded by getting a job at the store as a stock boy. The mannequin later comes to life as Ema "Emmy" Hesire, who was an ancient Egyptian princess living in the year 2514 BC. Gorgeous and vivacious, this femme fatale helps Jonathan turn his career around, inspiring him to become the best window dresser in town. But Emmy soon discovers that the real world is not very dear, when they run into competitors who want to bring them out of business - for good.—MGM/UA Home Video
In Ancient Egypt, the young princess Ema "Emmy" Hesire is a woman ahead of her time. When her mother attempts to force her to marry a manure dealer, she wishes to go to the future and vanishes. In present-day Philadelphia, Jonathan Switcher is an idealistic young artist that builds a mannequin. However, he is inefficient and cannot keep his jobs and his ambitious girlfriend Roxie Shield leaves him. But Jonathan discovers his mannequin prominently displayed in the window of Prince and Company department store. On the next morning, he saves the life of Mrs. Claire Timkin, who owns Prince and Company, and she asks the corrupt manager Mr. Richards to give Jonathan the position in the stock. Prince and Company is near bankruptcy and Illustra Company intends to buy it, using Richards to sabotage the department store. Emmy comes back to life only for Jonathan and they arrange wonderful window displays. Jonathan is promoted to window dresser, working with the flamboyant Hollywood Montrose that becomes his friend. Jonathan soon becomes a successful designer, leveraging Prince and Company and is promoted to vice president. But Illustra's general manager, Roxie and Richards want to force Jonathan to work for Illustra and kidnap Emmy.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In Philadelphia, aspiring artist Jonathan Switcher is unable to hold onto any job in always putting his artistic spin on whatever he's doing above all else. In coming to her rescue, Jonathan is hired by Claire Timkin, the owner of struggling Prince and Company department store, she relying on her senior manager, Richards, to place him within the organization, which he does at stock boy. In befriending the store's flamboyant window dresser Hollywood, Jonathan is not only elated to be able to see his favorite mannequin - one, while he was working in a mannequin factory, he created in the image of his perfect woman - but that it/she miraculously comes to life only to him. She is Emmy, from 2000 BC Egypt, who prayed to the Gods to find her true love. In Jonathan falling for her, Emmy becomes his muse in creating renowned window displays that turn the fortunes not only of Prince and Company around, but Jonathan himself who becomes arguably the most valued employee at the store. These changes do not sit well with many including: Roxie Shield, Jonathan's ex-girlfriend who works in the executive at successful rival department store Illustra, who not only wonders why he couldn't be a success when they were together, but is worried about Illustra and thus her own fortunes; Prince and Company's nightwatchman Felix Maxwell, who knows that something Jonathan is doing is torturing his faithful and normally vicious watchdog Rambo, it really being Emmy changing from animate to inanimate in front of Rambo's eyes; and Richards, who truly is a mole for Illustra's CEO B.J. Wert, Prince and Company's financial problems orchestrated by them so that Illustra could purchase it for a song. They all begin to believe that Jonathan and Prince and Company's success is predicated on his seeming favorite mannequin, they who will do whatever it takes to destroy it.—Huggo
In Ancient Egypt, Ema 'Emmy' Hesire, a young princess, is hiding from her mother inside a pyramid disguised as a mummy. Emmy is against her arranged marriage, and prays to the gods to be united with her true love in the future. Strangely, Emmy suddenly vanishes before her mother's eyes. In present-day Philadelphia, Jonathan Switcher is a young artist working in a mannequin factory. Jonathan takes his time perfecting one he is working on, which angers his boss, who claims he needs to be working on quantity than quality. After protesting, Jonathan is fired and attempts to find other jobs, but his artistic passion also gets him terminated from most of them. One evening, after his motorcycle breaks down in the rain, he passes by some windows being property of the department store Prince & Company and is surprised to see his mannequin in the window.
The next morning, Jonathan returns to the store and ends up saving the life of its owner, Claire Timkin, from her own fallen shop sign. Claire becomes very grateful and offers to find Jonathan a position in the department store. Viewed with suspicion by the security guard, Captain Felix Maxwell, Jonathan works with and befriends flamboyant Hollywood Montrose, the store's chief window dresser. Jonathan eventually finds the mannequin he created and is surprised when it comes to life with Emmy's spirit, when he is alone. She explains she has existed for centuries as a muse, sometimes possessing the works of an artist she admires and inspires. Emmy then explains the gods allow her life when she is alone with Jonathan, who is unsure once he is dreaming or has gone insane.
The next morning, Jonathan wakes up in a newly created window display advertising tennis equipment and sportswear, unsure once he dreamed all this or not. The window display begins to attract massive attention, bringing shoppers back to Prince & Company. The landmark store has been losing shoppers to a newer, trendier department store called Illustra located across the street. Prince & Company's conniving manager, Daryl Richards, is secretly being paid by Illustra's owner, B.J. Wert, to convince Claire to sell her store to him. However, after the recent floor traffic seen on account of Jonathan's window display, Claire feels that Jonathan could be the key to saving her store. Much to Richards' disgust, the store's board members promote Jonathan to visual merchandising.
Over the next several weeks, Jonathan and Emmy continue their secret romance and keep improving the creativity of the store's window displays, which bring a tremendous number of customers and profits for the store. Jonathan soon receives a call from his former girlfriend, Roxie Shield, who works for Illustra. Jonathan meets her for lunch at a French restaurant, where Roxie says that Illustra wants him to be their chief window dresser. Jonathan explains that he cannot do this, considering that he likes working at Prince & Company, as well as working with a very beautiful woman there, enraging Roxie, causing her and another co-worker to sneak into Prince & Company after hours to take pictures of Jonathan and his supposed girlfriend. However, they are shocked when they see what appears to be Jonathan getting intimate with a mannequin.
Jonathan's window designs continue to be the talk of the town and business continues to bloom at Prince & Company, leaving B.J. seething and threatening to fire most of his workers once his store's sales do not improve. Claire has been very impressed with Jonathan's work and soon after promotes him to vice president of the department store, after she fires Richards and Felix, for their accusations towards Jonathan. Meanwhile, he chooses to celebrate that evening by taking Emmy for a ride through the city on his motorcycle, despite how unusual this seems to bystanders. However, he is encountered and accosted by Roxie again, claiming he needs to seek help and begs him again to come to work at Illustra. Jonathan denies again, claiming that he has people at Prince & Company who care about him and someone who makes him feel special.
Richards and Felix, who are sitting in a car around the corner of the store, plan to go into steal Emmy, but sees her and Jonathan speeding past on the motorcycle. Richards and Felix give chase, with their car getting stuck in a narrow alleyway. Later that evening, Jonathan and Emmy enjoy their time alone in the store, before Emmy leaves his side to take her place in one of the windows. However, Richards and Felix have also come back to the store to steal Emmy, only are unsure which mannequin is her. Being desperate, they simply steal every one from the display room, unaware they are being watched by security cameras. Jonathan wakes up the next morning and is informed of this design by Hollywood while the customers applaud him. Jonathan immediately suspects Illustra's workers are behind this, and he and Hollywood drive over there.
Jonathan confronts Richards, Roxie and B.J., demanding to know where Emmy is in the store. Roxie storms out, with Jonathan following her, while being pursued by the store's security guards including Felix, Richards and B.J. Roxie runs into the storeroom and loads the female mannequins onto a trash compactor. As Hollywood holds back the pursuers with a fire hose, Jonathan goes into the room and a janitor watches Jonathan jump onto the compactor's conveyor belt to save Emmy slowly moving to her doom. Jonathan grabs her and Emmy comes to life, grabbing his arm, as he pulls her out and the janitor shuts down the compactor. Once safe, Emmy realizes she is alive again and now free from her ancient curse, she thanks the gods for uniting her with her true love and Jonathan vows to love her forever.
While the janitor wonders once other mannequins will come to life, Hollywood arrives and suddenly realizes Emmy was alive the entire time. In the aftermath, the store guards, Felix, Richards and B.J. all barge into the storeroom, along with several police officers, who B.J. orders to arrest Jonathan for trespassing, but Claire arrives to convince the officers that she has video footage of Richards and Felix sneaking into Prince & Company to steal Emmy and the officers arrest Felix, Richards and B.J., who fires Roxie as they are all hauled away. Some time later, Jonathan and Emmy are married in the store window of Prince & Company, with Claire as maid of honor and Hollywood as best man, as well as numerous pedestrians watching them exchange vows.
