Act One

Elliott, a chubby teen, beaming with hope, appears on stage and relays his excitement to the audience as the brand new captain of The Beavers Marching Band ("Captain of the Beavers").

Elliott is then revealed, hanging on a locker room door. Laura, Elliott's friend, knocks and comes into the room. As Laura helps him down, Mr. Hornsby bursts in with his whistle. He reminds the two that, with the new season, Elliott must be in tip top shape. Mr. Hornsby exits, and Elliot and Laura get ready for band practice ("Band Geeks!") During the song, we move to the football field, where everyone is arriving for rehearsal. Elliott proceeds with roll call. We are introduced to a new exchange student, Natalia Vosavich. The students pull out their instruments as rehearsal begins. In another part of town, we come to the home of Jake, a past star of the football team, who has been forced to join the marching band for his senior year.

On the practice field, the students are still adjusting to the new music and formations. Ms. Dixon enters, assistants in tow, to check on Mr. Hornsby and his students. She introduces Jake to the band as a new drummer for the coming school year. Skeptical and unsure, Elliott brings a set to Jake, and the students begin to train him ("Keep the Beat"). Frustrated and upset, Jake throws down his drumsticks and leaves. The band takes a break. As Elliott and Laura share a moment, Nicole interrupts; Elliott is speechless... it is his high school crush! When Elliott leaves Laura to reflect, she confesses her feelings ("Lost in the Brass").

We now move to Ms. Dixon's office, where she is delivering bad news to Mr. Hornsby: due to a lack of funding, she must cut the band program. Now, the students will forfeit their use of the practice field and begin to practice for their final appearance in... the parking lot ("Good Enough"). Although the kids' spirits are down, they must still prepare for their last performance. Meanwhile, in the locker room, Elliott is preparing to ask Nicole out on a date. The boys come in and give him a hard time ("Twirler Girl").

Later that night, the marching band has snuck onto the practice field with Mr. Hornsby, but they are quickly falling apart. Still in her pajamas, Ms. Dixon is shocked to find them on the field. She reprimands Mr. Hornsby and instructs Joyce to confiscate his field pass. Alone in the darkness, the music teacher dreams about new possibilities ("If I Had a Stage"). Elliott interrupts to remind Mr. Hornsby that they still have to play the big game against Waterloo, and Jake is shocked: it is his old school! The next day, we find Laura and Jake behind the bleachers. While sizing each other up, they share an unpredictably special moment ("One Look at You").

It is now Monday, 3:00 pm. As the boys prepare for rehearsal in the locker room, Laura coaches Jake in the parking lot. The big night is quickly approaching ("Friday Night").

After a week of hard work, we find ourselves at the Friday night football game as Belleview High faces off against Cuyahoga High and its Marching Beavers. Sitting in the stands, Jake thinks about his ruined dreams of football stardom ("Team Player"). Lost in his thoughts, Jake unleashes an incredible, unrehearsed snare drum solo. The performance receives awe-filled praise from the band and Mr. Hornsby. Even more, a recruiter from Ohio State is so impressed that she invites the band to compete at the Festival of Champions ("The Festival of Champions").

Act Two

In the parking lot, after the game, Mr. Hornsby reminds the kids that this will be the biggest opportunity for the Beavers, and his students agree. Kyle, Alvin and Stewart step up to provide a demonstration to their band teacher: a "sneak peek" at ideas for the competition ("Get it Together").

On the way home from Cedar Point, Laura and Elliott bond. Jake and Nicole flirt in the back of the bus ("The Back of the Bus"). Back at school, Elliott talks to Jake about his school crush while Stewart endures more bullying from the jocks. Over in Mr. Hornsby's office, Laura is having difficulty with a musical piece and eventually confides to him that her parents are forcing her to attend state school, despite the potential that Mr. Hornsby sees in her.

Later, we find Natalia and Spitz practicing in a large storage closet. The two square off in a battle of egos and talent ("Big Shot!") Back in the parking lot, Ms. Dixon gives Mr. Hornsby some bad news: someone has broken into the supply closet in the field house, and the equipment has been vandalized. Jake is accused, and Ms. Dixon warns him that this will be the final straw; he is to be kicked out of school. As the band mourns the loss of Jake, Laura contemplates her situation and what she should do ("Lost in the Brass – Reprise").

The next morning, in Mr. Hornsby's office, we learn that Laura has stepped forward and confessed to the crime in order to save Jake. Elliott cannot believe it and rushes to Jake's house. He informs Elliott that he is done with school and has given up, but is shocked to learn that Laura has taken the fall ("Loser").

Back at the parking lot, the band is practicing ("Good Enough – Reprise"). Many of the students have accepted that it's a losing cause and begin to think about other things that they could excel in. At the end of the song, Elliott appears and announces that Jake has come back to the band. In an effort to mend relations, Stewart steps forward to admit that he vandalized the field house after the football team locked him in.

Early the following morning, Laura is welcomed back by Elliott. After reconciling, they share a brief kiss and then laugh about it ("Captain of the Beaver – Reprise"). At the Festival, the members of the band are prepared for their long journey to come to an end. Elliott passes his baton off to Laura, and the song begins ("Embrace Your Inner Geek"). As the song concludes, the curtain closes.