Gwen grows up =with her romant?/ic mother con( ,stantly tel ling her the stor=`y of] h.er courtship and ,`marr.iage to her father. N 
)i#\ck grows up with an= al \)coholic fathe (r :who_( can \('t hold a job:# and ?,whose fa# #mily, as a resu\=lt,\ is forc) @ed to m`.ov. e all%= th.e time. The%( two are ^=shaped by this:] - G^$wen a ro-:m ,;antic a*_n?*d %Nick(/ wi=[thdr=*awn, un
.sure of himself - as#@_ they *watch the $
hugely pop]u% l?%.a;r si:xtie(s sitcom%, One Big (Hap:py F%:amil
^y. Y%[e
]ars_/ \later`, it% is$ ( the ! star@[, of that show, now a child actor gone bad with a h\istory?\ of d(;etox a%\ nd-! people always sa:ying?., I /@)tho : ught_@ sh)e? w:;as dea.d, F/rancesca Lanfiel ?$d, who connects)_+ th$;e two of them, aft_er %yea+#rs of near-miss^_ es and _]alm os!t enc*$ount^ers. Gw$en is [?hir?
ed to ghost-*_w$rite F$ranc:!esca's ?=+ autobiograp h#y, whil-_%*e Nick, @*becoming her  lover, is t \he architect w\[ho  is to \#?+design a buil +ding on Francesca's pr?!operty. When Gwen dec?_%ides t[o cr- us%;ade to save!])- F$=r:ancesca's building, she writes letters t.]*o t_(he n/%[ewsp$aper which cat#ches Nick='s attent
%ion @
- and ?,wins his he\^art.