The struggle between an overly ambitious drum student and a ruthless jazz teacher to be the "best" leads to counterintuitive events and a musical duel.
On one side is Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), a jazz teacher who is the terror of his students, and on the other is Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller), an overly ambitious young student who is determined to be "the best". With neither side willing to compromise their dominant character, irrational events soon begin to unfold. In the process, Neyman, whose hands are bloody from working, is forced to submit to the insulting training techniques of the abusive Fletcher. But Neyman has his own tricks up his sleeve, and things come to a head before they finally face off in a musical duel.
