A magician competes in an international magic competition where he goes head to head with a female street magician he has fallen in love with. This film shows great magic performed by a cast of professional magicians. Like a great musical where the songs and the story are seamlessly intertwined, Desperate Acts of Magic does the same, mixing story and magic as one.

Charlie Valentine (Raymond J. Barry), notorious crime boss/mobster, attempts to pull one last heist before slipping into "retirement". When the heist goes sour, however, he's forced to go on the run. Seeking help from his estranged son, Danny (Michael Weatherly), Valentine finds himself teaching his son the tricks of the trade. After an attempted scam on Danny's boss, and with a mobster on his tail, Valentine must decide whether or not he has enough goodness in himself to save his only son...a son who might die thanks to Valentine's mistakes.