Jesse Corwood is a 31-year-old man living with his mother in Portland, New York. Obsessed with music and driven by a desire to create, but lacking a thriving local scene, Jesse records numerous songs by himself, invents 17 fictional bands, and meticulously documents their imaginary stories in his notebooks. Jesse's plan works when Rolling Stone takes interest in his label, Portland Records, but he struggles to maintain the illusion when the magazine requests photos and interviews with the bands.

To keep his story going, Jesse attempts to enlist local teenagers to pose as his bandmates, causing suspicion and tension with his mother, Marsha, as well as the local school principal. As the situation spirals out of control, Marsha finally confronts Jesse about his delusions and their consequences. As a result, Jesse finds himself involuntarily committed to a mental institution, where he begins to dream up new stories and an escape.