An oboist is told that he is only good for his playing. The oboist is determined to prove that he is also a talented composer as well.

A cynical flutist and his accompanist friend audition together for a talent-seeking event. After their performance falls flat, the flutist speaks with a retired famous musician whose misery makes him question his lifelong goals.

In the far future, a woman is selected to undergo a Great Becoming. As she is forced to choose what she will become, she realizes that someone people do not have to choose at all.

A lonely young drummer with a talent for old fashioned jazz music joins a band of elderly men and ends up having a surprisingly good time with them.

A jazz producer visits a great saxophone player when he hears that the musician's health is deteriorating. The producer sets up a recording session for the musician before the musician loses his ability to play forever.

An African American man in his early-20s becomes renowned for his blues performances on the streets around the United States, playing for jail inmates, young couples, and passerbys alike.

When a melancholic blues singer gets his big break, he discovers that his success as a musician is mutually exclusive with his happiness as a human being.

When a musician is faced with harsh criticism from a revered teacher, the life he had always planned goes up in flames.

As a young Japanese man reflects on significant moments in his life, a stunning musical encounter leads him on the path to self-acceptance.

An accidental painter and jazz drummer unintentionally create a symbol that becomes a psychological phenomenon as an interior decorator, industrial designer, clinical psychologist, and cultural anthropologist attempt to uncover the ancestral lore behind the craze.