A young man (Cruise) leaves Ireland with his landlord s daughter (Kidman) after some trouble with her father, and they dream of owning land at the big giveaway in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new land, they find jobs and begin saving money. The man becomes a local barehands boxer, and rides in glory until he is beaten, then his employers steal all the couple s money and they must fight off starvation in the winter, and try to keep their dream of owning land alive. Meanwhile, the woman s parents find out where she has gone and have come to America to find her and take her back

A young man (Cruise) leaves Ireland with his landlord s daughter (Kidman) after some trouble with her father, and they dream of owning land at the big giveaway in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new land, they find jobs and begin saving money. The man becomes a local barehands boxer, and rides in glory until he is beaten, then his employers steal all the couple s money and they must fight off starvation in the winter, and try to keep their dream of owning land alive. Meanwhile, the woman s parents find out where she has gone and have come to America to find her and take her back

Tim Lippe (Helms) was the guy people always thought would go places but then he just ... didn t. He s been living in über-sleepy Brown Valley, Wisconsin his whole life, still pre-engaged to his 7th grade teacher Macy Vanderhei (Weaver), while selling insurance to protect other people s dreams. But now, Tim s stalled life is about to get a kick-start because, for the first time in his 34 years, he s headed to a major metropolis - Cedar Rapids, Iowa - where he must try to save his company at a do-or-die insurance convention that, for him, will be entirely unconventional. From the minute he checks into his hotel with his ancient American Tourister and cummerbund money belt, it s clear Tim has no idea how the modern world really works. He is soon smitten with seductive Nebraskan insurance agent Joan Ostrowski-Fox (Heche) and awed by his experienced roommates...