From actual events comes the story of the life and times of James Rogers. As a senior in High School, he is in a battle to break from his father Red Rogers’ long held belief, “life is a cruel joke, barely worth living”.

If Jimmy loses this battle, he will take his own life and the mystery behind the death of his best friend David Perkins and David’s girlfriend Cathy Carlson will go unsolved.

In the movie, the story is being told in present time by Aaron Rizzer (a/k/a Professor Remember) who is recalling how Jimmy Rogers first joined David’s band The Rhythm Kings, which practiced and performed at the Professor’s Roadhouse & Bakery Café.

Following the opening scene, as the credits roll, we hear Jimmy singing The Saturday & Sunday Blues. One of thirty original songs punctuating events in this coming of age/murder mystery set in Jimmy’s home town, Statesville NC.

This song was written out of the anguish one feels when he believes he has lost everything.  And that’s exactly how teenager James Rogers felt when he found his girlfriend Marie in the arms of another. He witnessed this right after hearing of the death of David and Cathy, followed by news that the factory where Jimmy worked after school had burned to the ground.

Was his father, right? Is life just a cruel joke?

Jimmy is wrestling with life’s paramount decision. Whether to live life with a sense of hope and optimism or to live life void of hope and purpose, one filled with tragedy and despair.

Up to this point Jimmy has tried to walk the line between his mother Esther’s view and his father Red’s dim outlook on life.

If your actions led to the death of your own father, what kind of father would you be? That’s Red Rogers’ dilemma. It has a profound impact on Jimmy’s life.