1950. Rural Alabama. Cotton harvest. Its a make-or-break weekend for the Honeydripper Lounge and its owner, piano player Tyrone Pine Top Purvis. Deep in debt to the liquor man, the chicken man, and the landlord, Tyrone is desperate to lure the young cotton pickers and local Army base recruits into his juke joint, away from Touissants, the rival joint across the way. His plan to hire a guitar legend go awry and Tyrone is forced to take drastic action in a final scheme to save the club.