On a sunny afternoon in Princeton, New Jersey, of the 1950s, love strikes in the oddest way: Albert Einstein's niece Catherine (Meg Ryan), and her uptight fiancé James (Stephen Fry), stop at a gas station for car repairs, and when dim-witted grease monkey Ed Walters (Tim Robbins) appears, he falls head over heels in love with Catherine. But, how can he, an academic nobody, win the heart of such an intellectual' By chance, Catherine leaves her pocket watch behind, and when Ed personally returns it to her home, who but the illustrious Albert Einstein (Walter Mathau) answers the door! When Einstein realizes Ed's genuine and passionate love for his beloved niece, the mathematical genius sets his analytical mind on high drive, and experiments with every imaginable theory to get the two into each other's arms. With the help of his brainy cronies (Lou Jacobi, Gene Saks and Joe Maher) Einstein concocts an elaborate theory of cold fusion and space travel for Ed to adopt and use to impress the brainy Catherine. Soon Ed is bombarded by media and political attention for a theory he knows nothing about as he struggles to win the heart of his intellectual love with heartwarming and hilarious results. Walter Mathau is superb as the legendary Einstein, spouting mathematical theories and delightfully witty banter in this highly entertaining romance.