In New York City, the Department of Para-Normal Studies Testing Laboratory at New York University tests people with psychic abilities for Dr. Harrison Steele. Included in the study are Nick Deezy, a museum curator who is able to sense the history of objects and people by touch, known as psychometry; and Sylvia Pickel, a beauty school student with trance-medium powers and a connection to a spirit named “Louise.” During lunch, Nick and Sylvia dine with other psychic subjects: Dave, Jane, Lyle, and Ingo Swedlin. Dr. Harrison Steele informs the group that Nick and Sylvia’s abilities are the most impressive he has ever seen. Sylvia informs Nick that “Louise” told her his girl friend, Hillary, is cheating on him. In the afternoon, Steele asks Nick if he would become a permanent part of his project. However, Nick declines. Returning to his job at the museum, Nick is bombarded by co-workers to use his abilities. Elsewhere, Sylvia meets Fred, her former boyfriend, at the racetrack. After telling Sylvia he needs money to pay back loans, Fred begs her to ask “Louise” to tell which horses to bet on. Sylvia reminds Fred that “Louise” does not like him, but agrees to help him. After Fred wins five races, he thanks Sylvia and “Louise.” While leaving the racetrack, Fred is approached by his current girl friend, Gloria, and leaves with her. Sylvia returns to her apartment, questioning her bad taste in men. Arriving home, she sees a stranger standing in her kitchen. The man introduces himself as Harry Buscafusco, and offers her $50,000 to help him find his missing son in Ecuador. Sylvia agrees, and decides to ask for Nick’s help. Meanwhile, Nick finds out Hillary cheated on him after he touched a pair of her underwear. Unable to forgive her, he breaks up with her. The next day at work, Nick hides from his boss, Mr. Van Der Meer, who wants Nick to entertain museum trustees with his psychometric talents. Sylvia arrives and tells Nick she will split Harry’s money with him if he joins her in Ecuador. Nick has never liked his abilities, even as a child, and Sylvia admits she got her connection with “Louise” after falling off of a ladder and being in a coma for two weeks. She also professes she is capable of astral projection. Mr. Van Der Meer finds them, and orders Nick to “perform” for the trustees. Frustrated, Nick informs Van Der Meer he is taking a sabbatical to Ecuador. Van Der Meer will not allow Nick to leave, so he quits and leaves with Sylvia. Arriving in Ecuador, Harry Buscafusco takes Nick and Sylvia to a hotel. After unpacking, Harry insists they go to the village where his son, “Harry, Jr.,” was last seen. At the village, Harry hands Nick a shirt to get a reading of where his son may have gone. From the shirt, Nick leads Harry and Sylvia to a pathway up the mountains. However, Nick senses the shirt belongs to an older man. Harry changes his story, saying he is looking for his father “Harry, Sr.,” but Nick insists the shirt’s owner is not that old. Harry confesses he is actually searching for a hidden Incan city that houses the mythical Room of Gold, and the shirt belongs to Burt Wilder, his associate, who was searching for the city with Eli Diamond. Harry believes the men found the city, but Eli vanished and Burt returned in a state of shock. From Burt’s shirt, Nick senses the men did find the Incan city and they need to speak to Burt to obtain more information. Harry says Burt is in the hospital near the hotel, and they can visit in the morning. Returning to the hotel, Nick and Sylvia go to the bar. Being told by “Louise” she is destined to meet the love of her life on the trip, Sylvia flirts with Alejandro De La Vivar, a Spanish Ambassador. Alejandro is charmed by Sylvia and asks her to join him in fifteen minutes after his business meeting. Suddenly, Ingo Swedlin, a psychic from Dr. Harrison Steele’s study, arrives. Nick and Sylvia tell Swedlin they just started dating, and kiss in front of him. After Swedlin excuses himself, Sylvia sees Alejandro and leaves with him. Meanwhile, Consuelo, a beautiful woman at the bar, flirts with Nick and invites him to her room. Consuelo hands Nick what she claims to be an aphrodisiac, but upon touching it, Nick senses it is meant to knock him out. Pulling out a knife, Consuelo tells Nick she and her associates will find the Room of Gold first. As Consuelo lunges, she cuts Nick’s arm, but falls off the balcony. Fearing Sylvia is in danger, Nick arrives at Alejandro’s room and sees him with his hands around Sylvia’s neck. He hits Alejandro on the head. However, Sylvia tells him Alejandro was only placing a necklace around her neck. After Alejandro awakens, he throws Nick and Sylvia out. After Nick and Sylvia find Harry, Nick threatens to leave the country, but Harry convinces Nick to go the hospital to see Burt and to check the cut on his arm. At the hospital, they find Burt is in a catatonic state. Sylvia asks “Louise” for help, and Burt starts talking, telling Harry that the Room of Gold is deep in the mountains surrounded by wind and dust. At Nick’s insistence, Burt tries to remember the location, but starts to shake. As Nick touches Burt, he gets thrown back after absorbing a large dose of psychic energy, which causes Burt to die. With a newfound desire to find the Incan city, Nick takes a stone in Burt’s hands and announces he will be going into the mountains. Ingo Swedlin appears and aims a gun at Nick, demanding to know what Burt told him. With “Louise’s” connection, Sylvia reveals that Swedlin’s dead mother, Gretchen, wants him to let them go. Swedlin is not convinced, until Sylvia is possessed by Gretchen’s spirit, and starts singing his favorite childhood song. While Swedlin is distracted, the group escapes. Guided by Burt’s stone, Nick leads Harry and Sylvia into the mountains. Wanting to do something nice for Nick after he tried to “save” her from Alejandro, Sylvia kisses him. However, Nick believes Sylvia only pities him, and they get into an argument. Later, Burt’s vibrating stone awakens Nick. Led by the stone, Nick finds the lost Incan city. In the morning, he returns and tells Sylvia and Harry about his discovery, but insists there is no gold, only an evil presence. Suddenly, Ingo Swedlin appears and throws a knife into Harry’s back. As Harry dies, Sylvia tells him “Louise” will take care of him on the other side. As Swedlin aims a gun at Nick and Sylvia, Dr. Harrison Steele arrives with his henchman, Carl. Steele announces that he has been working with Ingo and Carl to find the Incan city and the Room of Gold. Taking Sylvia and Nick hostage, Swedlin follows Nick’s path. Upon finding the city, the group sees the temple and a glowing pyramid, uncovered by Eli Diamond and Burt Wilder. Unknowingly, Sylvia begins reciting a message inscribed on the pyramid, but Nick stops her, telling Steele the pyramid was built long before the Incans built the city. As Swedlin deciphers the pyramid text, Nick and Sylvia are separated. After Sylvia learns that Steele plans to use the pyramid’s concentrated psychic energy to change the world, she astrally projects herself to Nick. As Nick sees her psychic presence, he asks “Louise” to help him escape. Pretending to be possessed by Carl’s father, Nick knocks Carl unconscious and takes his machine gun to stop Steele and Swedlin. After Sylvia’s energy returns to her body, Nick tells her to go get help. However, Sylvia hears a gunshot and sees Nick surrounded. Placing her hands on the pyramid, Sylvia absorbs the psychic energy. Around her, Swedlin vanishes, and Steele and Carl run away, but falling rocks kill them. Suddenly, Sylvia is thrown back, and tells Nick she saw “Louise” in the Room of Gold, entering the light to save Sylvia’s life. Nick and Sylvia return to the hotel, where she tells him she plans to stay in Ecuador for the time being, getting use to life without a connection to “Louise.” Not wanting to leave her, Nick kisses Sylvia and carries her to her bed. Sylvia hits her head on the headboard and senses a connection with new spirit, Harry Buscafusco.