Long managed by his half-brother Bobby, superstar Jackson Maine is a country music singer-songwriter, who has the demon of substance abuse, primarily of alcohol. At a bar one evening after a concert, Jack meets Ally performing there, she long having given up on a dream of a professional music career, more a dream for her father Lorenzo, she working a kitchen job to pay the bills. They make an immediate connection. Jack, especially upon learning that she considers herself more a songwriter and is insecure about not having a traditional "look" which she feels is her biggest obstacle in ever eking out a career in the music business, tries to instill into her a sense of staying true to herself to show the world who she truly is through her music. Ally wants to show him that there are people who can love him beyond the artifice of celebrity. As they embark on a romantic relationship, Jack openly acts as her mentor in the music business. As Ally's star begins to rise from the exposure, she catches the attention of well-known manager Rez Gavron, who wants to represent her. While Ally's career hits stardom under Rez's control in a direction not envisioned by Jack, Ally and Jack's personal relationship and professional careers become at odds with each other, which is only exacerbated by Jack's excessive drinking.—Huggo