| Director | Mark Piznarski |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film, romance film, teen film |
| Runtime | 120 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $10.9 million |
Kelvin "Kelley" Morse and Jasper Arnold become involved in a car race and accidentally damage Mable's Table, a restaurant owned by Samantha "Sam" Cavanaugh's parents. Both are sentenced to perform community service by repairing the damage.
Although Kelley comes from a wealthy family and Jasper's parents are working-class, they soon find themselves fighting over the same girl, Sam. While Jasper and Sam have been dating publicly for years, in secret, Kelley and Sam begin to spend time together. They soon find that they have more in common than they imagined, and they fall in love. Eventually, Jasper learns of their relationship and doesn't like it.
During a trip to Kelley's home in Boston, Kelley reveals to Sam that his mother killed herself. Sam brings Kelley into the house and they sleep together. In the morning, after Sam makes Kelley breakfast, Kelley's father arrives and informs him he must attend college early and give up his fling with Sam.
Upon returning to the small town, Sam's parents soon learn that their daughter's osteosarcoma has relapsed, which was initially discovered after a track injury, and now has only a few months to live. Sam tells Kelley that she thinks everyone has their own heaven and it is made of a combination of all the things they loved in life. She says that his mother has Kelley with her in her heaven. When Kelley learns the awful truth about Sam, he must decide if he should obey his father's wishes and go to college or stay by the side of the first girl he's ever loved.
Kelley and Jasper finish rebuilding the diner and their probation is up. In the end Kelley returns to be with Sam during her final months of life. At her funeral, Kelley recites a passage from a poem he and Sam loved. The film closes with a shot of Sam running through a field in her version of heaven.