Synopsis: Many years before, Deedee Rogers (Shirley MacLaine) and Emma Jacklin (Anne Bancroft) were the two young ballerinas most likely to succeed in the demanding world of the American Ballet Theatre. But Deedee got pregnant and gave up her performing career for a family and a teaching job in... Many years before, Deedee Rogers (Shirley MacLaine) and Emma Jacklin (Anne Bancroft) were the two young ballerinas most likely to succeed in the demanding world of the American Ballet Theatre. But Deedee got pregnant and gave up her performing career for a family and a teaching job in Oklahoma, while Emma alone continued on to fame and fortune. Now Deedee's talented daughter, Emilia (Leslie Browne), has joined the ballet company, with her own dreams of becoming a renowned dancer--until the company's flirtatious and sexy star, Russian defector Yuri Kopeikine (Mikhail Baryshnikov), singles her out for special attention. Deedee and Emilia are spending the summer in New York, far away from their family life in Oklahoma; the close proximity of the company and her rival, Emma, forces Deedee to think back to her own youth and wonder if she made the right choice, all the while wondering if Emilia will become the artist that she never got the chance to be and follow in the footsteps of the lonely, yet famous, Emma. As Emilia becomes more and more saturated in the world of the company, the two old friends are forced to realize their love and loyalty toward one another despite their very different sacrifices. Herb Ross's compelling picture is a tour de force for its two stars, Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine. [More]