法律系大学生奥列弗(莱恩·奥尼尔饰)和学音乐的琴妮(爱丽·麦格劳饰)相爱。琴妮出身寒门，而奥列弗的父亲则是巨富，因此他坚决反对儿子这门婚事。奥列弗不顾父亲的阻挠，毅然与琴妮结了婚。婚后他们到处打工，过着清贫的生活，但两人始终情深意笃。奥列弗毕业后受聘为律师，生活开始有所好转，琴妮却不幸患了不治之症——血癌。奥列弗强颜欢笑，竭尽温柔照料琴妮。琴妮最后在爱人的怀抱中平静地死去。弗朗西斯·莱是法国著名作曲家，他为本片写的音乐获得1970年第43届奥斯卡最佳作曲奖。其中这段非常感人的主题音乐，后来被填上歌词，流传极广。

英文歌词：

Love story

Where do I begin to tell the story of how great a love can be,
The sweet love story that is older than the sea,
The simple truth about the love she brings to me,
Where do I start?
With her first hello,
She gave a meaning to this empty world of mine,
There'll never be another love another time,
She came into my life and made the living fine.
She fills my heart.
She fills my heart with very special things,
With angel songs,
With wild imaginings.
She fills my soul with so much love,
That anywhere I go I'm never lonely.
With her along, who could be lonely.
I reach for her hand,
It's aways there.
How long does it last?
Can love be measured by the hours in a day?
I have no answers now,
But this much I can say:
I know I'll need her till the stars all burn away,
And she'll be there.