Ray hears a mysterious voice on his verandah telling him to build a baseball field in his cornfield.

Ray builds the left field on his farm; Shoeless Joe Jackson appears on the diamond one night.

Shoeless Joe asks Ray to finish building the entire field so the other banned players can join him.

Ray finishes the full baseball field over three seasons; all eight banned Black Sox players appear in vivid form.

Ray hears a second mysterious voice saying 'Ease his pain' and interprets it as a mission to find J.D. Salinger.

Ray waylays Salinger outside his New Hampshire home and persuades him to attend a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

At the Fenway game, Ray discovers that the interview convincing him Salinger loved baseball was actually fake.

A scoreboard message at Fenway reveals statistics about Moonlight Graham, and Ray hears the instruction 'go the distance.'

Ray and Salinger travel together to Chisholm, Minnesota, to investigate the life of Moonlight Graham.

Ray walks the streets of Chisholm at night and encounters an elderly Doc Graham, who shares his story.

Returning from Chisholm, Ray and Salinger pick up a young hitchhiker who identifies himself as Archie Graham.

A new player appears on Ray's magical field: Johnny Kinsella, Ray's long-dead father, playing as the young catcher.

Young Moonlight Graham steps off the field and transforms into elderly Doc Graham to save Karin after her fall.

Salinger proposes opening the baseball field to paying visitors as a way to resolve Ray's mounting debts.

Salinger walks through the centerfield fence with the players; Ray turns off the lights and goes home with his family.

Ray Kinsella hears a mysterious voice telling him to build a baseball field, and Annie's encouragement gives him the courage to begin. Shoeless Joe Jackson appears on the completed left field and asks Ray to finish the full diamond so the other banned players can join him. A second message sends Ray on a cross-country mission to find J.D. Salinger, whom he brings to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park where a scoreboard clue about Moonlight Graham surfaces. Ray and Salinger travel to Chisholm, Minnesota, where Ray encounters the ghostly Doc Graham and later picks up young Archie Graham as a hitchhiker on the road back to Iowa. Back at the farm, Ray's long-dead father Johnny Kinsella materializes as the missing catcher, and a crisis forces young Graham to transform into Doc Graham to save Karin's life. The story closes as Salinger walks through the centerfield fence to fulfill his own dream, while Ray returns home to his family, content with the life he has built.

Annie encourages Ray to build the baseball field, telling him that if it makes him happy he should do it.

Ray and daughter Karin watch every game on the magical field together, sharing hot dogs and sodas.

Ray buys a gun and attends ballgames in Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and New York before reaching New Hampshire.

On the drive to Boston, Ray tells Salinger his full story and the two men talk about writing.

Salinger reveals he also received a mysterious voice message telling him to 'fulfill the dream.'

Ray and Salinger visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown to research Graham's single major league game.

Doc Graham tells Ray that his greatest unfulfilled wish was to hold a bat in a major league game.

Ray stops at the Bishop Cridge Friendship Center in Iowa City and invites elderly Eddie Scissons to his farm.

Ray returns to his farm to find his estranged twin brother Richard unexpectedly waiting there.

Brother-in-law Mark announces he has obtained legal right to foreclose on Ray's farm over unpaid mortgage payments.

Moonlight Graham steps up to bat on Ray's magical field, fulfilling his lifelong dream of hitting in the major leagues.

Mark and Bluestein arrive claiming legal custody of the farm; Ray tries to drive them off at gunpoint.

First cars of visitors begin arriving at Ray's farm as Salinger describes his plan to attract tourists.

Ray gathers the courage to walk onto the field and speak to his father, Johnny Kinsella.

Richard, previously unable to see the magic on the field, finds the ability to speak to his long-estranged father.

Annie's simple words of encouragement set Ray's magical journey in motion, while young Karin's ability to share the wonder of the field shows that Ray is not alone in his vision. Ray's eccentric road trip—complete with ballparks, a gun, and long conversations about writing—leads him and Salinger deep into the mystery surrounding Moonlight Graham. The visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Graham's own confession about his unfulfilled wish to bat in the majors add emotional weight to their mission. Back in Iowa, Ray's estranged twin brother Richard unexpectedly arrives at the farm, while brother-in-law Mark escalates his financial threats and Moonlight Graham finally steps to the plate. The farm's future is saved when paying visitors begin to arrive, and the night ends with both Ray and Richard making long-overdue peace with their father on the magical field.

The people and places that shape Ray's quest.

Ray's father instilled in him a deep reverence for Shoeless Joe Jackson and the game of baseball.

Shoeless Joe tells Ray about his suspension, saying he would have played the game free and worked for food.

Ray reads a literary magazine interview that appears to show Salinger's love for baseball, convincing him to seek the writer out.

At the Fenway game, Salinger dismisses the pain Ray tries to discuss, saying it is not a big deal.

Ray and Salinger read a newspaper obituary revealing that Graham served as Chisholm's beloved community doctor for decades.

Ray dreams of elderly Eddie Scissons while sleeping in Chisholm and wakes surprised that Eddie has invaded his thoughts.

An oracle-like message at Metropolitan station in Bloomington tells Ray something about sharing and betrayal involving Eddie Scissons.

Mark publicly reveals in front of Ray's guests that Eddie Scissons never actually played for the Chicago Cubs.

Ray defends Eddie despite knowing the truth, saying worse men than Eddie have been forgiven by better men than him.

Eddie delivers a passionate sermon to players and fans on the field, preaching baseball as the true word of salvation.

Eddie pitches on the magical field as Kid Scissons, performs poorly, and returns to the dugout deeply devastated.

Eddie passes away shortly after pitching and is buried in Ray's cornfield wearing his Cubs uniform, per his last wish.

Karin falls and is knocked unconscious during the tense standoff with Mark and Bluestein over the farm.

Shoeless Joe invites Salinger—not Ray—to join the players through the centerfield fence after the game ends.

Salinger admits to Ray that he did give the baseball interview and reveals his deep love for the lost Polo Grounds.

The story's emotional engine runs on a series of discoveries and confrontations, beginning with Ray's inherited love of baseball and Shoeless Joe's frank confession about his suspension and banishment. Ray is set on his path by an interview he reads about Salinger, and Salinger's evasiveness at Fenway and his later confession reveal how deeply personal this quest truly is for both men. The mystery surrounding Moonlight Graham deepens through his obituary and Ray's unexpected dream of Eddie Scissons, leading to an oracle message that draws Eddie fully into the story. Mark's public exposure of Eddie's lie triggers a cycle of forgiveness—Ray defends Eddie, Eddie preaches and pitches as Kid Scissons, and ultimately dies fulfilled before being buried in the cornfield he loved. The story's emotional climax arrives when Shoeless Joe chooses Salinger over Ray to walk through the centerfield fence, forcing Ray to confront his jealousy before Salinger's confession and quiet departure bring the journey to its rightful end.