Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal star as young college lovers whose passion for each other transcends the different worlds they come from but can't change their fate. Oliver Barret (O'Neal) is a rich Harvard Law student who falls in love with poor musician Jennifer Cavalleri (MacGraw). Against his father's wishes, Oliver marries Jennifer and is disinherited from the family fortune. Can the young couple survive or can love stand the test of time?