In 1977, rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd chartered a private plane to travel across the country. However, the journey met an unexpected and difficult end as the plane crashed in the Missouri swamps, killing lead singer Ronnie Van Zant (Taylor Clift), guitarist Steve Gaines (Samuel Kay Forrest) and his sister, Cassie (Lelia Symington), as well as the band's manager, Dean Kilpatrick (Mark Valeriano), and the pilots. A series of flashbacks from the perspective of Artimus Pyle (Ian Shultis), the band's drummer, sheds new light on the events leading to the crash, as well as its emotional result.