Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell) is a writer who moves from Colorado to Los Angeles with aspirations of completing a great novel. There he meets bold Mexican waitress Camilla (Salma Hayek). She wants to live a better life and thinks marrying for money may be her answer. Arturo, who tries to project a confidence that he is inwardly lacking, initially acts coldly toward Camilla. Despite not seeming like a viable match, a romance gradually develops between the two.