In the mid-1960's, West Virginia bluegrass trio The Gulch Jumpers was on the verge of musical success, when tragedy struck. Fifty years later, surviving bandmate Ray Jones is broken and homeless, but he still has his talent and his faith in miracles. Ellie Sanders, attorney at law, discovers a battered shoebox of song lyrics in the back of her bedroom closet that leads her to Ray. She is shocked and dismayed to see her high school friend, Brandy, at the same shelter, a sullen and resentful heroin addict. Ellie resolves to help, hoping it will banish her own ghosts.
Ray asks Ellie to take him on a desperate search, and the friends head south on a road trip into the worlds of bluegrass, blues and old-time music. Racial prejudice, legal hurdles, grief over lost children and drug addiction converge as Ellie, Ray and Brandy discover the power of music, friendship and hope.