In the weary, long ago summer of 2010, Evan Barker's world is coming apart. His older brother, Jason, has taken his own life, leaving behind a shattered family—parents unraveling under the weight of the Great Recession, a sister institutionalized after finding Jason's body, and Evan himself, drifting without direction. At 21, he's stuck in a life that feels smaller by the day, drowning in grief, regret, and the dead-end haze of aimless friends and cheap booze.

So he does the only thing that makes sense in a world that no longer does: he decides to audition for American Idol. In Nashville. Despite having never sung a note in his life.

Joining him on this reckless, possibly absurd road trip is Lily Trent, a childhood acquaintance turned unexpected companion. A newly minted dancer at Deja Blue, Lily is just as lost as Evan, carrying her own ghosts and disappointments. What starts as a desperate bid for stardom morphs into something far more real—a search for meaning, connection, and self-worth in a generation raised on broken promises.

Evan thinks he's chasing a dream, but the real lesson might be learning how to lose—and finding out who you are when the dream dies.