Rory O'Manion is a hot-headed and rebellious farmer, who has become increasingly fed up with his meager existence in British-controlled Ireland during the Great Potato Famine of the 19th century. He ironically meets and falls in love with Rachel Clement, the feisty daughter of a local English landlord, but he decides to set off to establish a new life in America without her. Once there, after working various day labor jobs, his bravery and determination help to earn him a full-time job and later, a business partnership in a gunpowder mill that Rachel's uncle owns in Philadelphia. Rachel's subsequent arrival in America reunites them, setting off a chain of events where the two families grow increasingly intertwined on both sides of the Atlantic, during the turbulent decades of pre- and post-Civil War United States and the Industrial Revolution.

Thrill-seeking billionaire Thomas Crown (Brosnan) loves nothing more than courting disasterand winning! So when his world becomes too stiflingly safe, he pulls off his boldest stunt ever: stealing a priceless paintingin broad daylightfrom one of Manhattan's most heavily guarded museums. But his post-heist excitement soon pales beside an even greater challenge: Catherine Banning (Russo). A beautiful insurance investigator hired to retrieve the artwork, Catherine's every bit as intelligent, cunning and hungry for adventure as he is. And just when Thomas realizes he's finally met his match, she skillfully leads him into a daring game of cat and mouse that's more intoxicating and dangerous than anything either of them has ever experienced before!