Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, is an unsuccessful farmer who one day hears a mysterious voice telling him to "build it and he will come." Despite not knowing what "it" refers to, Ray discovers that the voice is urging him to plow his cornfield and turn it into a baseball diamond. Despite the fact that he risks bankruptcy from the loss of crops, he follows the voice's instruction and builds the diamond.
As a result, the spirits of deceased baseball players begin to appear on the field, playing the game as if they were still alive. Ray soon discovers that the voices he heard were those of the disgraced former baseball player, Shoeless Joe Jackson. Along the way, he also forms a close bond with the author Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones, who is also called to meet Ray at the baseball diamond.
Throughout the movie, Ray's faith in the voice and his intuition is tested. He must decide whether to sell his farm to save it or keep the land and risk everything to follow his dreams. The film is a nostalgic and poignant look at the American pastime and the fantasy of holding onto what we value most.