artist and graphics designer patience phillips is a people-pleaser. her main support is her best friend sally. she works for a cosmetics company called hedare beauty. they're ready to ship a new skin cream, beau-line. it reverses the effects of aging. however, patience overhears the scientist dr. ivan slavicky and laurel hedare, the wife of company owner george hedare, talking of the dangerous side effects from continued use of the skin cream. laurel's guards discover patience. they are ordered to get rid of her. patience is then killed by drowning.