At the opening of the film, we see a young woman, Amber, making beautiful artisan coffees
at a local café. She looks up at the news, where a reporter is speaking about a new superstar,
Jake Collins, who used to be a tow truck driver that serenaded his customers for fun. He got
caught on camera and when it was uploaded to social media, it garnered millions of views
and went viral, resulting in him scoring a record deal as the ‘Tow Truck Troubadour’.
Now, the nation is obsessed with him. The young woman seems bothered by the praise being
heaped upon Jake, frowning in consternation as she goes to serve a customer.
The customer turns out to be her mother and her sister June. Her mother saw the news report
and is obsessed with Jake Collins. The family used to know him well when he was younger
- he was an orphan from the local home - and he had some sort of relationship with Amber
that didn’t end happily. June elbows their mother to get her to shut up about Jake, seeing
her sister’s discomfort, while their mother changes tack completely and gushes about how
proud she is of her daughter owning and running her coffee shop. Rolling her eyes, Amber walks
away to go find her staff member, Mason. Just as she’s giving him some instructions, everyone’s
phones go off in the café at once - Jake Collins has posted a new video, and naturally,
as he’s from their hometown, everyone is following his socials. Mason shows Amber the
video on his phone - it turns out to be Jake announcing the release of his first album.
He promises it’s going to be a love letter to everyone who believed in him as a child,
everyone who supported him, and the town he grew up in, causing Amber to walk away in
disgust. Clearly whatever happened between them is still affecting her to this day.
Meanwhile in his recording studio in Nashville, Jake heads into the room to start setting
up for his single. However, it seems his announcement on socials was premature, because there’s
been some sort of mix-up and the band is just leaving. Confused, he waits to hear what’s
going on, when his manager Marvin appears and sits him down. He explains that it’s
been six months and they’re still no closer to finishing the album because Jake seems
to have lost his inspiration, and he can’t keep waiting forever. Unfortunately, he’s
not prepared to throw any more money at someone he sees as just a one-off viral sensation,
so he’s firing Jake and taking away the record deal. Jake is horrified, watching him
leave as his assistant grimaces apologetically.
Jake’s lifetime friend and talent manager, Tommy, is waiting to drive him off the site,
since the company owned his car and also apparently his housing. Jake protests at the fact that
he’s having his whole life pulled out from under him, but his friend reminds him that
his contract had key deadlines in it and Jake’s missed all of them, so the record company
is entirely within their rights. Jake’s completely down in the dumps, but Tommy had
foreseen that something like this might happen. He’s been in the business for a while now,
so he already packed up all of Jake’s things from the apartment and had a plan in mind
in case the record label dropped him. Jake wants to know where they’re heading, but
his friend won’t tell him; all he reveals is that it’s going to be a long drive and
that he wants Jake to trust him. He’s taking him somewhere he’ll finally get the inspiration
he’s been missing for his songs.
They drive for miles across open fields and plains, woods, and mountains, until they finally
arrive at their destination - Lincoln, Colorado, the town they grew up in. The town council
has named the new performing arts theater after Jake, and Tommy reveals that he’s
going to be staying in town for a while and cutting the ribbon for the grand opening.
Jake isn’t exactly enthusiastic to be home; he didn’t know where his friend was taking
him but he didn’t expect this. His friend scoffs at his indifference - it’s the perfect
place to seize some motivation, the town where everyone loves him, but Jake isn’t so sure,
voicing his concern that that may not be the truth. It seems he’s not gotten over Amber
either, and she’s the first thing that comes to his mind upon returning.
His friend brushes it off, driving them to his parents’ place, where he and Jake used
to have sleepovers as kids and where they’ll be staying during their trip. It’s now an
Airbnb, as his parents retired to Europe after the pair of them moved to Nashville. Meanwhile
Amber stops off at the new theater, where she’s teaching guitar to a teenage boy named
Joaquin. He’s an orphan that stays in the same boys’ home which Jake grew up in years
ago, and it turns out he’s a natural talent at guitar; he immediately takes to playing
the chords beautifully. Amber is impressed and thinks he’ll be more than ready to perform
at the opening in a couple of weeks, but Joaquin is still shy and unsure of himself.
That night, Amber and her family are laughing around the dinner table about the time when
the old family diner almost burned down - the diner that Amber has now turned into her bougie
café. Her father had refused to call the fire department because he believed in young
Amber’s ability to manage the situation, even at nine years old. Her mother almost
faints at hearing the story, as she hadn’t known about it. Amber is reminded of Jake,
who was a part of that fond memory, and immediately starts feeling down again. The atmosphere
around the table dampens as everyone hurriedly changes the subject, and Amber looks down
at her plate, suddenly feeling morose. As they all leave, June sits Amber down on a
bench and tries to make her remember all the good things about Jake and the time she spent
with him, so that her sister isn’t so bummed out while the big internet star is back in
town. They reflect on how Amber felt after the breakup, when he just ghosted her and
left, and Amber is grateful that she had the support of her family and already feels stronger
just knowing her sister is by her side. June’s husband watches them from the car as they
hug.
Jake returns to the house where Tommy is waiting for him. He’s been out and about in town
trying to go incognito, and luckily, he hasn’t been recognized yet. He’s had a great day
seeing all the old places he missed. Tommy waits until he’s settled in before he drops
the next bombshell on him - he’s signed him up for a gig the following day, somewhere
that everyone originally fell in love with his singing. Jake is confused, wondering if
he has to go back to towing cars, but Tommy won’t reveal a thing.
Amber arrives at the performing arts center for her usual guitar lesson with Joaquin,
only to find that the manager Ted has hired Jake to fill in for a lesson, hoping to gain
some exposure. There’s a gaggle of young girls outside filming everything for the internet.
Amber holds her temper, knowing she can’t blow up and go viral, so she pulls Jake aside
for a moment to speak to him privately. He is instantly apologetic, not having known
it was her lesson he was substituting for - he explains that Tommy set it up without
telling him anything. Ted and Joaquin watch on, knowing the rumors about them having been
high school sweethearts but not realizing things between them were that bad. Amber brushes
Jake off angrily, denying that there’s anything even resembling friendship between them anymore,
before Jake pleads with her to at least have a conversation. She reluctantly agrees to
let him come by the café later.
That night, he stops by after closing time. Amber offers to make him a drink and they
chat about his trip to town. She’s surprised by how humble he comes across, despite his
rise to stardom. He impresses upon her that he’s still just Jake - the same Jake she
knew. Amber asks if he plans to leave again after the theater opening, and he surprises
her once again by revealing that he intends to stay a while and work on the album. Amber
scoffs, remembering that the whole reason he left Lincoln - left her - was to go and
find his music to begin with. Jake sighs, knowing he owes her a real explanation for
what happened back then. He grew up surrounded by happy families but never knew where he
belonged, out of place, an orphan with no home. He felt like he needed to find himself
to be able to write music. Amber never realized how he felt, and although the pain of his
departure still hurts, she can find it in herself to understand. She makes him promise
not to suddenly leave Joaquin, now that he’s gotten involved in his tutoring. The boy is
a lot like Jake, and looks up to him, and she would hate to see him get hurt by the
man who’s his hero. Jake makes a solemn promise not to break any more hearts.
There’s a moment between them as Amber leans across and subconsciously wipes some foam
from Jake’s beard. The old feelings are still there under the surface. Both of them
aren’t sure how to react, so Jake awkwardly gets up to leave. As he’s departing, Amber
stops him, asking him if there’s anything else on his mind - she can tell that things
aren’t right, even after all this time apart. Jake clams up, though, unwilling to share
his misfortune with someone he’s so afraid to disappoint. She watches him go, confused
by her feelings towards him and concerned that he’s not telling her the full story.
Amber heads to the salon where June works to vent to her sister about Jake’s arrival.
June is sympathetic, even as her husband Spencer grins with glee that Jake accepted the invite
to open the theater. Amber confides in June that her intuition is telling her Jake is
hiding something, and although she’s been through so much heartbreak she still cares
about him, so she wants to try to help whatever he’s going through. Her sister cautions
her not to get too involved, because she doesn’t want to see her get hurt again.
At the performing arts center, Amber announces that she and Jake will be co-tutoring Joaquin.
Ted is relieved that they’ve found a compromise. As the manager heads out to leave them to
the lesson, he reminds Jake that he plays the lute, in case he needs a band member for
the album. Jake fist-bumps him, to Ted’s delight, and Amber rolls her eyes at his pandering.
Later, Spencer is making a speech as they formally open the performing arts center,
and Amber claps at the back of the crowd despite herself as Jake takes the stage. People cheer
and clap in the crowd as he makes a speech about being back in his hometown. He reiterates
the importance of the experiences he had in Lincoln and whether, if he had the chance
to do it over again, he would ever leave in the first place. Amber is now clinging to
every word, knowing they’re for her, even if he’s still addressing the crowd as a
whole. They lock eyes briefly as he finishes to a storm of cheers, but she makes her way
out before he can find her in the throng.
Back at the café, Amber sees Jake approaching and heads out to speak with him before he
can distract all her customers. He apologizes for how he acted at the dedication, not meaning
to have brought up old feelings again, but she doesn’t mind; the old feelings are there
whether they like it or not, and it’s not just on his end. He comments on the transformation
of the diner into her coffee shop. She talks about her journey of growth since he left,
and how she’s found the fulfillment she was looking for by taking over the café.
Jake is emotionally affected by her words, wishing he could have found the same feeling
in Lincoln himself. Amber quotes the Bible at him - about watering one’s pasture instead
of looking for greener ones elsewhere. He’s immediately inspired by the line and bravely
asks her to meet him again for coffee, to see if she can help him with his songwriting.
Despite herself, Amber agrees, then heads back into the café with a smile.
Back at the Airbnb, Tommy asks Jake how things with Amber are going. Jake tries to brush
off the question, but his friend is more insightful than he gave him credit for and instructs
him that to get his music back on track, he needs to sort his heart out first. Amber heads
to her parents’ house for a family dinner, surprised to find Jake at the table with her
whole family, looking at pictures. She’s embarrassed at his presence, not knowing he’d
be there and not sure how to handle the familiar scene, and accidentally calls him a stranger,
which upsets him, although he tries to hide it. Amber’s father reminds him of an old
trip they took together for a father-son outing organized by the school, and states proudly
that he always thought of Jake as family, words that mean a lot more to Jake than the
old man realizes.
After dinner, Spencer is gushing over Jake before June drags him off. Amber teasingly
asks him if he’s going to take her for coffee like they agreed. The pair settle down in
a café across town and he invites her to tell him how she felt after he left. He’s
feeling remorse for the way he ended things and realizes he never gave her a chance to
vent. Amber admits that she hated him for a long time - she dreamed they would end up
together, and she would have gone with him to Nashville if he’d asked, but he just
took off without saying a word. Her family helped her through it, though, and she grew
up, went to business school, forged her own life, and forgave him a long time ago, even
if she didn’t get over her anger. In a moment of vulnerability, she leans in and asks him
the real reason why he left. Ashamed, Jake finally admits the truth; he was aging out
of the system, afraid of not having a family. He felt like Amber would soon realize he wasn’t
good enough for her, so he decided he needed to make it on his own, to prove something
to himself and the world. Amber is horrified that he would ever have thought that, knowing
how much she loved him. Jake feels a tiny spark of hope that she might not have given
up on him - that there might still be a chance for them. But she shuts the door before he
can ask, reaching over and taking his hand, beating him to the punch by asking whether
they can be friends. He quells the disappointment and nods, keeping up the façade of his glamorous
lifestyle - he’s not ready for her to find out that his dreams have already failed.
Later, Jake sits alone composing on the steps when Tommy approaches him. His lyrics are
getting better, but he’s still not quite there with it. Tommy consoles him about being
in the friend zone, but Jake sees it as an improvement over being strangers and is happy
to at least be on speaking terms with her. His friend is exasperated at Jake’s reluctance
to tell Amber that he still has feelings for her, but doesn’t press the issue, advising
him to keep working on his song. It’s so close to finally being there, but neither
of them can figure out exactly what it needs.
Amber is working in the community center, listening to music, when Jake arrives and
greets her, taking out one of her earbuds to listen. He likes the song, pleased that
she’s into the same kind of music as he is. She apologetically indicates the work
she has to finish, and he lets her get back to it, sitting down on the other side of the
room to wait for Joaquin and absently strumming out a tune. It seems like even just watching
her inspires him. During the lesson, Jake asks Joaquin about his family situation, and
the pair share stories about the foster system. Amber turns off her earbuds discreetly, listening
in without them knowing. Joaquin is curious about what happened between them, and Jake
admits that his leaving was the reason they broke up and it was the biggest mistake of
his life. Amber tries not to react upon hearing this. She joins the lesson a little later
and Joaquin nervously asks Jake if he’ll agree to play with him at Talent Fest. Fond
of the kid who reminds him so much of himself, Jake doesn’t hesitate to say yes.
Amber calls June to the café and admits to her that she overheard the conversation, wanting
to talk it out. She’s completely jumbled after knowing he still has feelings for her
and needs June’s advice on what to do. June isn’t surprised at the news, having heard
his speech before, and just warns her sister to be careful, because Jake could be an entirely
different person now from the boy she used to know. Amber, though, is getting caught
up in a whirlwind of emotions and wants to give it another chance. June suggests inviting
Jake to church with them that Sunday, so he could see her sing in front of the congregation,
and maybe they could reconnect through music as they did as kids.
When she’s playing, Jake arrives and sits on a pew at the back. She’s delighted to
see that he accepted her invitation. He’s watching the priest, drinking in the sermon
about keeping secrets and how it can hold back freedom. After the service, he compliments
her on her beautiful song and heads straight off to work on his own, finally understanding
what his lyrics need and wanting to work with the inspiration while it’s fresh. He’s
practicing it in the theater when Amber arrives, looking for him. She asks what he’s working
on, and he admits he’s had writer’s block for a long time now. He plays her the song
- as much as he has written - and she’s shocked by the authenticity in his lyrics,
realizing instantly it’s about their relationship. She hums along and suggests how to finish
the chorus, leaving him dumbstruck that she was able to complete it so easily when he’s
been struggling for months. Faced with her kindness and his guilt, and with the memory
of the sermon still fresh in his mind, Jake finally tells the truth about the record label
dropping him. Amber is shocked and dismayed for him, listening with rapt horror as he
unveils the whole story. She reassures him that the town loves him no matter what happens,
but Jake can’t bring himself to believe her words and insists he needs to finish the
song to try and have another shot at picking up another label.
Amber is supportive, understanding why he doesn’t want to come out to the town as
a failure given his past. While he’s being honest, Jake reveals his feelings for Amber
never faded; of course, she already knew that, but hearing him say it is the push she needed.
She leaps into his arms, pulling him into a searing kiss. She steps back, nervous, and
laughs as a smile spreads across Jake’s face as he takes in what just happened.
Meanwhile, though, there’s trouble brewing. Tommy takes a call from Marvin back in Nashville,
threatening him with legal action over the non-competition clause in Jake’s contract.
Oblivious, Jake and Amber are walking side by side in the street, happily talking about
rekindling their old flame. Amber suggests recording a demo of the finished song, but
when the two of them consult Tommy, he gives them the bad news. As they have to wait out
the clause, Amber’s next idea is that they come up with another verse. Tommy is thrilled
to have her back on the team, since she’s a good influence on Jake, and congratulates
them on getting back together.
Amber heads to the salon immediately to tell June what happened. Her sister is happy to
hear that Jake hasn’t changed in the years he’s been gone, and although she initially
cautioned Amber in her approach, she believes her when she says that her old flame is trustworthy.
Spencer chimes in with his congratulations as well - everyone is excited to see the pair
reunited. A little while later, Jake and Amber are out together, sitting comfortably and
talking about the completion of the song. He puts his arm around her, relaxed and happy,
and they look natural together. Amber’s parents turn up, both thrilled at the reunion
which June didn’t hesitate to spill to them, and ask Jake if he’ll play for them. He
gets up and, with a nod from Amber, goes ahead to sing their brand-new finished song. Unbeknownst
to them, it’s being filmed, and before long the song goes viral on social media. Everyone
loves it, spreading the news like wildfire, but they’re concerned about the impact on
the non-competition clause, and Jake rushes back to Tommy.
Tommy suggests asking the social media website to pull the video, but before they can, Marvin
calls them. He loves the single and wants to reinstate the contract, but Tommy hangs
up before Jake can comply, because he wants to make Marvin sweat a little. Jake concedes
that Tommy’s been right so far and agrees to wait, then heads out to find Amber and
tell her the good news. Amber asks him what’s going to happen in their future, and Jake
sits her down, talking to her seriously about his thoughts. He promises that although the
record label is a huge opportunity, it’s not what he cares about the most. He loves
her, and hasn’t ever stopped, and this time he doesn’t want to do anything to mess it
up. She smiles and admits she loves him too, drawing him in for a soft and tender kiss.
Back at the Airbnb, Tommy regales Jake with even more good news. Marvin has improved the
terms of the previous contract, but only on the condition that they head back the next
day, because they need to record the EP by the weekend. Jake’s heart drops, though,
because that weekend it’s Talent Fest and he’s promised Joaquin he’ll be there to
play with him. Tommy shrugs - it’s up to Jake to decide what he wants most.
The next day, Joaquin is getting nervous about Talent Fest and Amber promises him that Jake
will be there, no matter what. Back at the coffee shop, though, Jake arrives and it seems
he’s made his decision. He informs Amber that he’s heading back to Nashville that
night and won’t be able to make the show. She’s disappointed, but tries to hold it
together because she knows how much this opportunity means to him. He’s apologetic and torn up,
but she reassures him that this won’t be like the last time. However, when he bids
goodbye and tells her he loves her, she doesn’t reply, and as soon as he’s out of sight,
she looks away sadly. It seems as though the old memories of him skipping town are coming
to the surface.
As they set off, Tommy is hyped about the new opportunity, but Jake is still having
second thoughts, unsure if it’s the right thing to do. Tommy convinces him that once
he’s made it with his career, he can come back to Lincoln and give Amber, Joaquin, and
everyone else everything they’ve ever wanted. Meanwhile Amber is crying in her parents’
kitchen when her father comes down. She lies to him that she’s worried about Talent Fest,
but he isn’t buying it. She finally admits that it’s about Jake going back to Nashville,
and her mother joins them as she pours her heart out. Her parents reassure her that everything
will be alright - they believe that Jake won’t make the same mistake again, and they believe
that even if he does, Amber is strong enough this time to carry on without him.
Back in Nashville, Marvin is gushing about the new single, but Jake can only sit on the
couch, staring into space and worrying about what’s happening in Lincoln. Amber meets
up with Joaquin and tries to encourage him, but he isn’t sure he can get up on stage
without Jake. The talent show begins, with many acts of all ages and backgrounds performing
- including Mason, who has an amazing singing voice that nobody knew about. Spencer then
introduces Joaquin, who steps up on stage and bravely begins his performance. However,
he gets nervous and freezes up halfway through, fumbling the chords, and stops playing. Just
as he is about to walk off, embarrassed, the sound of another guitar comes out of nowhere
and Jake steps up onto the stage beside him, encouraging him to continue. The pair finish
the song as a duet and everyone cheers for Joaquin.
Backstage, Amber finds Jake and thanks him for coming back. He’s sad that she’s so
surprised to see him, understanding that she believed he was gone for good. He professes
that he realized he was making the same mistake again, and pulls her into a kiss, promising
that from there on, he won’t let her go. They’re going to continue making music together,
right there at home.
Six months later, Jake released his debut album without the help of a record label,
letting his music speak for itself. The news reports on his incredible sales and rising
fame, and the partnership between him and his band member, singer/songwriter, and fiancée,
Amber. The two are up on stage together in a televised concert performance, singing their
hearts out to the first song they ever made together - the one about broken hearts, broken
dreams, and two soulmates finding each other. The movie draws to a close as the credits
roll, and they sit together watching Joaquin performing for a crowd, having finally gotten
over his stage fright.