Unhappily married Depression-era waitress Nora Foster is the main breadwinner while Leo Foster, her inattentive husband, blows their meager income on alcohol and gambling. To ease her loneliness, Nora goes to the Jewel, the movie theater in her neighborhood. She becomes captivated with the movie The Purple Rose of Cairo, especially with its lead character, archaeologist Oliver Hargrove. When Oliver literally steps off of the screen and into Nora's life, both realities are thrown into chaos. Who will Nora fall for? Will it be Oliver Hargrove or Jack Cromwell, the actor who portrays him? Will Leo finally come to his senses and try to fix his strained marriage?