German tourists Jasmin Münchgstettner from
Rosenheim and her husband fight while driving through the
Mojave Desert. She storms out of the car, taking a suitcase, and walks down the road, while he drives off in the opposite direction. When he comes back through, Jasmin quickly hides so he cannot find her. He barrels into the Bagdad Cafe, an isolated truck stop cafe, to look for Jasmin. Discovering they cannot sell beer, he asks for a coffee and finds out their coffee machine is on the fritz. The co-owner Sal offers coffee from a large yellow thermos he had just found on the roadside, which actually belongs to the Münchgstettners. After he leaves, the tough-as-nails and short-tempered Brenda, finding out her husband Sal forgot both to bring the new coffee machine and something else the local Rudi Cox needed, chews him out. Arguing outside the café, she lists the many ways in which he does not do his part. Sal threatens to leave if she does not let up, so Brenda sends him packing. Brenda, saddened by the argument, is sitting slumped in front of the café with a tear-stained face when Jasmin comes up, seeking a motel room. She also runs the adjacent motel, so checks her in. Initially suspicious of the foreigner, Brenda looks through her things and finds only mens clothes--most likely the German couple had inadvertently switched suitcases. Deciding Jasmin is a threat, she gets the sheriff to check her out. However, he finds no need for concern. The cafe is regularly visited by an assortment of colorful characters, including strange ex-Hollywood set-painter Rudy Cox and glamorous tattoo artist Debby. Brenda's son Salome plays
J. S. Bach preludes on the piano all day, and her teenaged daughter Phyllis is constantly coming and going with different guys. With an ability to quietly empathize with everyone she meets at the cafe, and helped by a passion for cleaning and performing magic tricks, Jasmin gradually transforms the cafe and all the people in it. Brenda herself metamorphosizes from being an angry, embittered aggressor to a more relaxed, happier person. Thanks to their love, Jasmin also is able to overcome her loneliness. Rudy sees her as a muse, and with each subsequent portrait she also transforms, becoming more relaxed and accepting of her body and herself. There is a temporary setback when the sheriff, overhearing news of the café, stops by to see for himself. Finding Jasmin there, he reminds her that she has overstayed her tourist visa. She unhappily leaves, the café reverts to its former subdued self, staying that way until her return months later. Jasmine has rejoined the motley 'family' of misfits, having found herself. The café expands its repertoire of entertainment to singing and dancing. Rudi proposes, ensuring she can stay, and Sal returns to Brenda. ==Cast==