While stuck in Los Angeles traffic, aspiring actress Mia Dolan has a moment of road rage with Sebastian “Seb” Wilder, a struggling jazz pianist. After a hard day at work, Mia's subsequent audition goes awry when the casting director takes a call during an emotional scene. That night, Mia's roommates take her to a lavish party in the Hollywood Hills, promising her that someone in the crowd could jump-start her career. After her car is towed, she walks home in disappointment.
During a gig at a restaurant, Seb slips into a jazz improvisation, despite the owner's warning to only play traditional Christmas pieces. Mia overhears him playing as she passes by. Moved, she enters the restaurant to witness Seb being fired for his disobedience. As he storms out, Mia attempts to compliment him, but he brushes her off. Months later, Mia runs into Seb at a party where he plays in a 1980s pop cover band. After the gig, the two walk to their cars and lament wasting a lovely night together despite the clear chemistry between them. Mia finds her car first and, after she drives away, Seb walks back down the hill from where they came to get his car, indicating to the viewer that he walked further than necessary in order to spend more time with Mia.
Seb arrives at Mia's workplace, and she shows him around the Warner Bros. backlot, where she works as a barista, while explaining her passion for acting. He takes her to a jazz club, describing his passion for jazz and his desire to open his own club. Seb invites Mia to a screening of Rebel Without a Cause and she accepts, forgetting a commitment with her boyfriend Greg. Bored with the latter date, she goes to the theater and finds him as the film begins. The two conclude their evening with a romantic visit to the Griffith Observatory.
After more failed auditions, Mia decides, with Seb’s encouragement, to write a one-woman play. Seb begins to perform regularly at a jazz club, and the two move in together. Seb’s former classmate Keith invites him to be the keyboardist in his jazz fusion band, where he will enjoy a steady income. Although dismayed by the band's pop style, Seb signs on after overhearing Mia trying to convince her mother that Seb is working on his career. The band finds success, but Mia realizes that this is not the type of music Seb wants to perform.
During the band's first tour, Mia and Seb have an argument. She accuses him of abandoning his dreams, while he claims that she liked him more when he was unsuccessful. Two weeks later, Seb misses Mia's play due to a photo shoot he had forgotten about. The play does not go well as planned; few people attend, and Mia overhears dismissive comments about her performance. Unable to forgive Seb for missing the play and their previous argument, Mia ends their relationship and moves back home to Boulder City.
Seb receives a call from a prominent casting director who attended Mia's play and invites her to audition for an upcoming film. Seb drives to Boulder City and persuades Mia to attend. During the audition, Mia is asked simply to tell a story. In response, Mia sings a story about how her aunt, a former theater actress who eventually died of alcoholism, inspired her to chase her dreams. Seb, confident the audition was a success, encourages Mia to devote herself to acting. The two profess that they will always love each other but part ways to follow their dreams.
Five years later, Mia is a famous actress and married to another man, David, with whom she has a daughter. One night, the couple stumble upon a jazz bar. Noticing the logo she had once designed, Mia realizes that Seb has opened his own club. When Seb notices Mia in the crowd, he begins to play their love theme on the piano. A dream sequence unfolds in which the two imagine what might have been had their relationship thrived alongside their careers. Mia and Seb acknowledge each other with a silent exchange of smiles before Mia leaves with her husband.
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