Middle school is tough-thank goodness there's band. For twelve-year-old Lucy Carver, music isn't just a way of life, it's an escape from homework and an off-key homelife with her alcoholic father. When Lucy starts seventh grade at Windley School of the Arts, with its high academic standards and even higher artistic expectations, it becomes much harder to keep life in tune. Determined to be the conductor of her own life, Lucy focuses all her energy on beating snobby Tolli Claybourne for first chair flute. As things spiral out of control with her parents and her schoolwork, Lucy grows desperate for a win. Just when she thinks she's hitting all the right notes, an accident leaves her unable to play, and her mother threatens to withdraw her for poor grades. Now, Lucy must choose: sabotage Tolli or give up on her dream.