A talented young jazz drummer experiences a trial by fire when he's recruited by a ferocious instructor, whose unyielding search for perfection could destroy both of them. Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) has been watching his father fail for most of his life. Determined to make a name for himself no matter what it takes, he enrolls in a prestigious East Coast music conservatory, and his talent quickly catches the attention of Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), an esteemed music teacher notorious for his caustic approach in the classroom. The leader of the school's top jazz ensemble, Fletcher promptly transfers Neyman into his band, giving the ambitious young drummer a shot at true greatness. He may achieve it, too, if Fletcher's methods don't drive him to madness first.