Henry is a misanthropic, emotionally complex children's book author who is forced to team up with a beautiful illustrator after his best friend and creative collaborator passes away. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that sometimes you have to take a gamble at life to find love.

After a chance encounter, theater-loving teen Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) gets the opportunity of a lifetime when famous director Orson Welles (Christian McKay) gives him a small role in his 1937 production of "Julius Caesar." Unexpectedly thrust into the heady world of the stage, Richard finds himself surrounded by ambition, clashing egos and sheer brillance.