In Cleveland, Ohio, in 1978, four rebellious teenage boys - Hawk, Lex, Trip Verudie, and Jeremiah "Jam" Bruce - run their own Kiss (band) tribute act called "Mystery" while they prepare to see their idols in concert in Detroit, Michigan, the following night. Their hopes, however, are dashed when Jam's religiously conservative mother discovers the concert tickets and burns them before having Jam transferred to a Catholic boarding school.