In England in 1912, young Rose boards the Titanic, a luxury liner bound for America.
Rose is travelling upper class with her mother, and her fiancé, Cal Hockley. 
Meanwhile, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson wins a third-class ticket on the ship in a poker game.
Unhappy with her forced engagement to Cal and controlled life, Rose attempts to commit  but Jack intervenes. 
Their bond deepens when they leave the first-class formal dinner for a much livelier gathering in third-class. 
Soon they fall in love but Cal is informed and forbids Rose to meet Jack again. 
They run away below decks to the cargo hold where they enter a car and make love. 
In the midst of Jack and Rose's romance, the ship hits an iceberg and begins to sink.
Many passengers are washed into the freezing water but Jack and Rose stick together. 
In the lifeboats, the few survivors wait and listen to the cries of their fellow passengers. 
In the water, Jack manages to grab a piece of wood.
While lying on the piece of wood, Rose manages to stay afloat, but Jack dies in the icy water. 
When an empty lifeboat arrives, Rose tries to wake Jack, but then realizes that he has died. 
After making a promise, Rose manages to unclasp Jack's frozen hand from her own and lets his body disappear into the sea.