You never choose love. Love chooses you.

In this adaptation of Terrence McNally's play, Johnny (Al Pacino), an ex-con turned short order cook, woos Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer), a reluctant plain jane waitress. Set in a dingy Manhattan diner, the story revolves around Johnny's eager, won't-stop-at-anything attempt to draw the embittered, recalcitrant Frankie out of her shell. As the two loners inch closer to love, we learn about their past: how Johnny landed in prison and what soured Frankie on men and relationships.