In the little resort town of Nelson, Washington, well-loved Fire Chief C.D. Bales (Steve Martin) is sensitive about his remarkably long nose. A beautiful, intelligent astronomer, Roxanne (Daryl Hannah), in town to study a comet, finds herself attracted to another newcomer, C.D.'s imported professional firefighter, Chris (Rick Rossovich). Roxanne confides her interest to the secretly smitten C.D., who reluctantly passes it on to Chris. But Chris is dumbstruck, and convinces C.D. to ghost-write a letter to Roxanne-one that, unbeknownst to Chris, is an outpouring of C.D.'s own feelings for her. Since it seems to both men that Roxanne wants, as Chris tells C.D., "a man that looks like me and talks like you, " the deception continues, until Roxanne has fallen in love with the author of the passionate letters-while C.D. remains certain that she could never love a remarkable face like his.