After a lovely blind date, crossword puzzle-writer Mary Horowitz (Sandra Bullock) falls head over heels in love with Steve (Bradley Cooper), a news cameraman. Mary is convinced that she and Steve are true soul mates, and, with the encouragement of a reporter (Thomas Haden Church), follows Steve around the country in a bid to win his love. Along the way, she befriends an assortment of misfits who accept her for who she is, leading her to reassess her reasons for this strange journey.