Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman) has made a career out of her sensible, mature and responsible approach to relationships. She has a hit radio talk show, an impending book deal, and a loving relationship with her fiancé, Richard (Colin Firth), a conventional sort -- which is precisely what Emma is drawn to. Then Emma finds out that she is already married to a man she's never met before, a result of a misguided prank that leaves her bewildered and very confused. Worse than that, her plans for the future are now threatened. With her wedding just around the corner, Emma must find the mystery man and obtain an annulment. Emma tracks down her "accidental husband" - Patrick (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a charming and handsome neighborhood fireman, with a big secret...that he was behind the "accidental" marriage. Unable to fess up, Patrick goes along with the ruse pretending to be just as baffled as Emma. While at first their opposite approaches to life create much tension and chaos, Emma soon starts to admire his carefree passion for life and doubt her own conservative, button-down views on life and love. As Emma's wedding draws near, she is faced with the choice between her safe life with Richard or the chance to live in the passionate and spontaneous world that Patrick inhabits.