Stardust

On the evening of the Kennedy assassination, Jim visits his friend Mike at the funfair where Mike works. He tells Mike that he's joined a touring rock group called the Stray Cats and invites Mike to be their road manager. Mike sees a lucrative opportunity and starts planning their future.

Mike accepts the role and proves to be a shrewd operator, arranging a better van and more comfortable accommodations for the band. He also sets up a recording session to get the group into the studio. Privately, he tells Jim that the band's success will depend on removing Johnny from the lineup.

Largely due to Mike's efforts, the Stray Cats score their first hit single with a song sung by Jim, released as the B-side to one sung by Johnny. Jim becomes the new focal point, drawing fan and press attention. Jealousy from Johnny leads him to quit the band.

The Stray Cats embark on a successful tour of the United States, where they meet Porter Lee Austin, a wealthy Texan who buys a majority financial interest in Jim and the group. The band members feel sidelined as Jim becomes the center of attention, promoted by Porter Lee and Mike. The other Cats grow frustrated with the new power dynamic.

Jim, supported by his girlfriend Danielle, objects to Porter Lee's treatment of his music as a commercial commodity. He pushes back against being turned into a marketable product. The tension between art and commerce colors the rest of the tour.

Jim's mother dies suddenly, prompting Jim, Danielle, and Mike to return to England for her funeral. In England, Jim confronts his wife Jeanette and their young son, whom he abandoned years earlier. Jeanette has moved on with another man, and she makes clear she wants no further contact with Jim.

The funeral is mobbed by Jim's fans, causing chaos. Danielle is upset that Jim never told her he was married. The return highlights the personal costs of Jim's fame.

Back in the USA, J.D. and the other Stray Cats inform Jim they are severing ties with him, leaving him as a solo artist under Mike's and Danielle's remaining support. Jim becomes a solitary figure rather than the group's center. The split marks a turning point in his career.

Jim embarks on an ambitious project to compose and perform a progressive rock opera in honor of his late mother. The work reflects his attempt to channel personal history into grand art. Danielle's absence from the scene amplifies the dramatic tension around his new project.

Danielle clashes with Porter Lee, and she insinuates that Mike is sexually attracted to Jim. Mike retaliates by arranging for Danielle to catch Jim with another woman, prompting her to walk out. The personal betrayals complicate Jim's fragile circumstances.

Jim's rock opera, broadcast live to a worldwide audience, becomes a huge success and cements his status as a mythic artist. Despite the triumph, Jim grows weary of the rock-star life. He eventually withdraws to an isolated castle in Spain, with Mike acting as caretaker.

Following the opera's success, Jim moves to an isolated castle in Spain and becomes a recluse. Mike stays on as his handler and caretaker, and old resentments begin to surface. The two men drift into a tense, fragile stalemate.

Two years later, Porter Lee pressures Jim to emerge from seclusion to produce income and avoid fading from public memory. A major live television interview is planned to revive interest in Jim's work. The plan keeps Jim in the spotlight while rekindling old tensions.

On the day of the interview, the mentally fragile Jim refuses to come out of his room. Mike orders him to face the cameras, but Jim's behavior remains erratic and unrehearsed. The moment signals a breakdown that will end in tragedy.

Jim eventually emerges but gives rude answers and bursts into uncontrollable laughter. Mike realizes Jim has overdosed on drugs, rushes to summon help, but Jim dies on the way to the hospital. The film ends on the somber note of a life spent in the glare of fame.