Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) has lost his wife to cancer and, left to bring up his son alone, tries to make a new start by moving to Seattle. His son turns him into a radio heartthrob, however, when he makes an on-air appeal to potential partners for his grief-stricken father. Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), despite being happily betrothed, answers the call, and romance blossoms between the two people, despite the fact that they live on different sides of the country. This romantic comedy, played in the style of 1950s weepies like 'An Affair To Remember' (which is quoted throughout the film), was hugely successful at the box office.