In San Francisco in 1981, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) was a smart medical device salesman, but during the sub-economic depression, his life was very difficult. He travels to various hospitals and clinics every day, but the doctors are not interested in his bone density scanner because it is twice as expensive as an X-ray scanner.
His wife Linda (Sandy Newton) could not continue to endure such a difficult life and left him and his 5-year-old son Christopher (Jaden Smith) and ran away. The bad luck of the two of Gardner and his son is not over yet. They were swept out by the landlord because they couldn't pay the rent, and sometimes they even had to spend the night in the bathroom of the subway.
Chris is determined to switch to a securities broker who has the opportunity to earn a high income. His hard work and wisdom impressed the securities company's manager Jay Teveztu (Brian Howe), and he passed the initial test. In the re-examination, Chris had to wear painter's clothes to the interview site despite his unfavorable assignments. However, he was determined to have read only high school. In the end, several partners of the company thought it was better to give him a chance. , So he became one of 20 interns. The life of Gardner and his son during the next half-year internship will be even more difficult because there is no salary during the internship, and only one of the 20 interns can stay. They have to rely on those bone density scanners for the time being.
