In early-1930s New Jersey, Cecilia uses the movies to escape from the increasingly-sadder life: her marriage to out-of-work Monk is unsatisfying; he hangs out with his friends instead of looking for work, and when he gets home he treats her poorly, even hitting her--but she will probably never leave him. She is currently the sole breadwinner, a diner waitress--until her daydreaming at work, specifically about the lives of movie characters--gets her fired. The latest of these movies is a lighthearted comic adventure called "The Purple Rose of Cairo," which she has now seen several times. During one of those screenings, Tom Baxter, a secondary but pivotal character in the movie--a self-described poet, explorer, and adventurer--walks off the screen into the audience, stating that he has seen Cecilia at several screenings before, and fallen in love with her, and Tom and Cecilia take off together. This causes may problems: the other characters on the screen can't continue without Tom, studio executives are concerned about anything libelous that Tom might do for which they would be legally responsible, and they are concerned that other characters from the movie will also walk off, not only at this theater but at others where the movie is being screened. Cecilia also sees it as a problem; although she likes Tom and likes being with him, she knows that he's not real. Another person who sees it as a problem is Gil Shepherd, the up-and-coming young actor who portrays Tom; he sees Tom's move as potentially destroying his career. But as Gil gave Tom life in his portrayal, there could be some of Gil in Tom. So when Gil heads to New Jersey to try to persuade Tom to go back into the movie, Gil, a real person, could also also see in Cecilia what Tom sees in her.—Huggo