Soundtrack plot
Soundtrack follows multiple characters close to Sam or Nellie, including Dante, Sam's cousin recently released from prison; Annette, Dante's mother; Nellie's mother, Margot, a well-known actress who acts as a micromanager for her daughter; Nellie's father, Frank, rebuilding his life after serving time for fraud; and Joanna, a struggling dancer who eventually pursues a career in social work. Almost all of these Los Angeles residents have an interest in creative endeavors, and most of them carry tons of baggage related to their families. These two factors help explain why each of these men and women are overly dramatic and expressive enough to regularly burst into imagined songs.