Each spring in the little port town of Beaufort, North Carolina, Landon Carter remembers his senior year at Beaufort High and Jamie Sullivan, the girl who changed his life. Serious and conservative, Jamie was as far from cool as she could possibly be, and didn't care. Landon hung with the in-crowd an aimless, moody, reckless guy who breezed through school on looks and bravado and had no plans, no future and no faith in himself. When a prank goes terribly wrong landing a kid in the hospital, Landon is assigned to tutor a young student on the weekends and participate in the Drama Club's spring play. Clearly in over his head with both assignments, Landon is forced to ask Jamie for help. Soon, against his own expectations and the scorn of his friends, Landon finds himself falling in love with this outwardly plain girl who possesses a passion for life he never imagined possible.