Plot Summary

Set in New York, You’ve Got Mail follows Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), the heir to a powerful bookstore chain, and Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), the warm-hearted owner of a small independent children’s bookshop. Although they live just blocks apart, their lives intersect in unexpected ways. While Joe prepares to open a massive new bookstore that threatens Kathleen’s livelihood, the two unknowingly begin an anonymous online correspondence that quickly grows into an intimate emotional bond.

In the real world, fierce business rivalry fuels mutual resentment, yet in cyberspace they share their hopes, doubts, and dreams without revealing their true identities. As their virtual relationship deepens, the contrast between who they are online and who they are offline becomes increasingly complex. When the moment of truth approaches, both must confront whether love can survive honesty, competition, and the collision of digital romance with real-life consequences.