This story centers on Daniel and Natasha, who both have plans for the day before they meet. Daniel is prepping for an interview with a graduate from Yale—a.k.a. Second Best School in his parents' minds. He's not thrilled about his future; he'd rather be a poet than a doctor. At his mom's insistence, he hops on a train to get a pre-interview haircut. The conductor preaches a mini-sermon over the speakers about finding God, and Daniel leaves the train rolling his eyes.
He has a few hours of free time, so he walks up to a church in a half-mocking, half-curious attempt to take the conductor's advice, but the church's doors are locked.
Meanwhile, Natasha is trying to stop her family from being deported back to Jamaica at the end of the day. An employee at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office gives her the number of a lawyer, and she calls the lawyer's office right away to schedule an appointment.
She has a few hours of free time, so she heads for her favorite record store.
As fate (or luck) would have it, Daniel turns around on the church steps and sees Natasha lost in her music. He follows her to the record store, where he busts a young couple who's stealing albums. This couple happens to be Natasha's ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend, so Daniel earns some major hero points. Sadly, Natasha doesn't have time for cute boys in red ties.
She leaves the record store and heads toward the lawyer's office. It's in the same direction as Daniel's Yale interview, so he's trying to follow her in the least creepy way possible. Good thing, too, because Natasha's jam session keeps her from seeing the white BMW that's about to hit her. Daniel yanks her off the street just in time.
He asks if she wants to get coffee, and she doesn't really, but she has time to kill and Daniel did just save her life. She unloads her scientific perspective about love on Daniel. He finds her cynicism delightful and bets that he can make her fall in love with him scientifically. He plans to ask her the 36 Questions That Lead To Love, according to The New York Times anyway.
They bond over their difficult families, career aspirations, and the ways they think they'll die—so romantic. When they reach the location of Natasha's appointment, they part ways.
Natasha learns that Attorney Jeremy Fitzgerald has been in a minor car accident and won't be at work for a few hours. She fills out preliminary paperwork, and his paralegal says she's confident Jeremy can win her case. Natasha feels hopeful, and she wants to tell Daniel but figures he's already gone. He's not. He postponed his interview and is waiting in the lobby. Swoon.
The lovebirds are reunited, but Daniel still has to deliver some deposit slips to his father at the family's Black Hair Care store. Daniel's family makes the worst first impression possible. HIs brother makes crude jokes, and Daniel's dad offers Natasha a relaxer for her curly Afro.
Thankfully, Natasha takes it all in stride, and Daniel brings her to his favorite Korean restaurant, followed by some Korean karaoke. Daniel's a great singer and Natasha is awful, but their songs are quickly overshadowed by their chemistry when they start making out.
Daniel is fully convinced they're meant to be, but Natasha tells him it's not possible because she's getting deported. This revelation sparks a huge fight, and they both storm off. Daniel wants to punch somebody, so he heads to the family store and socks his brother right in the face.
Meanwhile, Natasha meets with Attorney Fitzgerald, who asks why her father would willingly tell a police officer he was undocumented. She remembers hearing her dad say he regrets starting a family because it kept him from acting. After celebrating a little too much after a show, he hit a police car and tried to talk his way out of trouble by sharing a little too much of his life story.
Fitzgerald is confident he'll be able to delay Natasha's deportation. Natasha is thrilled and—again—she wants to tell Daniel, but she has no idea where he is. Her only option is to go back to his family's store, where she convinces his brother to give her Daniel's phone number.
Daniel's looking for her as well, and he's waiting in the lobby of Attorney Fitzgerald's building. They go up to the building's roof, where they kiss and make up. Daniel realizes it's time for his interview...which is in this exact building...with Jeremy Fitzgerald. That is quite a coincidence.
Anyway, Daniel heads to the interview, where he tells Jeremy he doesn't even want to go to Yale or be a doctor—all he cares about is Natasha. Unfortunately, Jeremy wasn't able to stop her deportation, and Daniel is devastated. He breaks the news to Natasha, who is equally devastated, and they vow to spend every remaining second possible together.
They head to Natasha's house to pack up her room, and Natasha gives her dad a much-needed reality check about how his dreams of stardom have made his family's lives incredibly difficult. The Kingsley family has an after-school special moment, and then it's time to head to the airport.
Natasha and Daniel ride in a cab together, and Daniel points out they haven't stared into each other's eyes for four minutes—one of the steps in the NYT love questionnaire. They try it out, both feeling incredibly sad, and then Natasha tells Daniel she loves him. What a day.
Ten years go by, and reality forces Natasha and Daniel to let go of each other. Natasha waitresses to help her family in Jamaica. Daniel moves out of his parents' home and puts himself through school, where he writes sad poems about Natasha.
One day, they're sitting just a row apart on an airplane. In the craziest twist of fate yet, their flight attendant is a former security guard from the USCIS building Natasha visited all those years ago. When Natasha thought Jeremy would be able to help her, she called the USCIS office to thank everyone, and that simple act of recognition saved the flight attendant's life.
She tells Natasha this story and Natasha introduces herself. Naturally, Daniel hears her name, and the two star-crossed (sun-crossed?) lovers are reunited once again.