In the 1930s, a housewife named Cecilia escapes the drudgery of her waitress job and abuse from her adulterous, gambler husband, “Monk,” at the Jewel movie theater, where she fantasizes about the lives of Hollywood actors and the characters they play onscreen. When Cecilia finds Monk with a prostitute and loses her job, she frequents screenings of The Purple Rose of Cairo, a story about a wide-eyed, handsome explorer named Tom Baxter, who is searching Egyptian tombs for a mythical purple rose. Befriending American tourists, Tom explains an ancient pharaoh once painted a purple rose for his wife, and the flowers now grow at her burial site. Delighted by the tale, the tourists invite Tom to their home in New York City and introduce him to high society. As Cecilia returns to The Purple Rose of Cairo one afternoon, Tom Baxter deviates from the script and takes on a life of his own, announcing his desire to break free from the movie. Stepping out of the screen and into the theater, Tom tells Cecilia that he has fallen in love with her and leads her outside, astonished by his newfound freedom. However, Tom’s fellow actors remain onscreen and are displeased by the rupture in the film’s narrative. The movie action comes to a standstill, and the audience is outraged. When news of Tom’s escape reaches Hollywood, the film’s producers are incensed by Tom’s insurgency and send out a search party. Meanwhile, Tom explores the “real” world. Although he asks Cecilia to teach him about humanity, he remains blissfully ignorant of poverty, violence, and disappointment. At a nightclub, Tom treats Cecilia to her first champagne and is surprised when his movie prop money is not an acceptable payment. Darting out of the club before paying the bill, Tom is further confused when his getaway car does not start without a key, and the couple run away to hide at a deserted carnival. When Tom kisses his new love, he is startled by the absence of a “fade out” and explains that in movies, couples disappear to a mysterious, invisible place to make love. Enchanted, Cecilia reminds Tom that he is not “real” and returns to the brutality of her home life, believing true love to be a fantasy. However, Cecilia is eager to reunite with Tom the following morning, and when she goes to a dime store to buy him donuts, she runs into Gil Shepherd, the actor who plays the role of “Tom” in The Purple Rose of Cairo. Although Cecilia initially mistakes the actor for Tom, he explains that Tom is his onscreen persona and begs her to divulge the character’s whereabouts. Astonished to meet a real-life movie star, Cecilia gushes that she is one of Gil’s biggest fans, but she is hesitant to reveal Tom’s hiding place, and Gil promises the encounter will be amicable. When Gil and Tom meet, however, Gil is furious at his character’s insurrection and orders him back into the movie, claiming the incident will ruin his chances of becoming a more established actor. Tom refuses and reaffirms his commitment to live like a real man, so he can pursue his relationship with Cecilia. Gil leaves the couple in a rage to telephone his agent and warns that Tom will be captured by police. Unfazed, Tom resumes his introduction to Depression-era, small-town life and is confronted by Cecilia’s husband, Monk, in a church. As the men fist fight at the altar, Cecilia stands up to Monk for the first time and credits Tom for inspiring her newfound confidence, but she returns home later that afternoon and finds Gil at her doorstep. When the actor confides his insecurities, Cecilia assures him of his talents and guides him to a music store, where he buys her a ukulele and recreates a love scene from one of his movies, in which he kisses the leading lady. Meanwhile, Tom meets a prostitute named Emma, who takes him to her brothel. There, Tom delights the ladies with his fresh, joyful perceptions of religion, philosophy, and the miracle of childbirth, and they offer to give him his first sexual experience free of charge, but he declines because he is committed to Cecilia. Back at the Jewel Theater, The Purple Rose of Cairo characters are increasingly irritated by the delay in their film, and in Hollywood, studio executives learn that “Tom Baxter” characters in other theaters have also attempted to leave the screen. The men plan to lure Tom back on screen and burn all prints of the film, including the negative. Elsewhere, Tom reunites with Cecilia and wants to take her to dinner, but she points out they are penniless and he remembers his opulent life in The Purple Rose of Cairo. Tom takes Cecilia back to the theater, introduces her to the cast as his fiancée, and hoists her into the screen. Inside the movie, Tom thrills Cecilia with a tour of New York City nightclubs and after a magical evening, they kiss. However, the moment of passion is interrupted by Gil, who is watching the movie from the theater, and he declares his love for Cecilia. As Tom and Cecilia step out of the film, the cast of The Purple Rose of Cairo gather onscreen, begging Cecilia to align herself with Gil because the show must go on. Although Cecilia does not wish to hurt Tom, she believes she has an honest future with Gil in the “real” world, and Tom returns to the movie once and for all. Cecilia goes home to pack for her journey to Hollywood and Monk promises to be a better husband, but she leaves anyway, claiming that “love at first sight” is not just a cinematic trope. When she returns to the theater, however, Gil is nowhere to be found, and the manager explains the actor went back to Hollywood alone. With The Purple Rose of Cairo stricken from theaters, Cecilia settles into the audience to watch Top Hat, as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers perform their sweeping romantic dance number, “Cheek To Cheek.”