Bryan Weber spent his high school days as a lonely loser. The only friends he had to speak of were his parents and his eight-string guitar. But that's all about to change this summer, now that Bryan's band is scheduled to embark on its first national tour. Now Bryan finally has the chance to become the guitar god he's always dreamed of being and, hopefully, make some real friends in the process. But when Bryan receives acceptance into the Ivy League college his parents have pressured him to attend since infancy, he knows he'll have to make a choice. It's his dream or his parents'--the full-time student lifestyle and the full-time rockstar lifestyle don't exactly play in perfect harmony. Chasing Thunderclap is a heavy metal band plagued by personal baggage but united by one common dream: to get signed to a record label. But the band is still reeling from the death of a former bandmate, and losing their lead guitar player to college is another hit they can't afford to take. The remaining members, AJ, Will, Eliot, and Shane, will do anything to prevent Bryan from leaving for college in the fall. And their plan almost works, too. But secrets don't remain secret for long in the confines of a tour van, and once the bonds of brotherhood are broken, Bryan isn't the only member of Chasing Thunderclap questioning whether the dreams they've been chasing were mere illusions all along.