Ace reporter Gale Gayley (Geena Davis) literally falls into the story of a lifetime when she's a passenger on an airplane that crashes into a Chicago bridge. In the smoke and darkness, she's saved by a rude, foul-mouthed "hero," who promptly disappears into the night leaving only one shoe behind. When Gale's TV station offers a million dollars to the mystery hero, a gentle Vietnam vet (Andy Garcia) appears to claim the prize and share it with the city's homeless. But this screwball story is complicated by the fact that the real hero is asmall-time crook (Dustin Hoffman) whom nobody believes. Both men have something heroic inside, as well as something to hide, and it's up to Gale to discover the true meaning of courage.