Jazz is America’s unique musical contribution to the world. It was born in the legalized vice district of New Orleans known as Storyville. Butch “Cobra” Brown, a musician, falls in love with torch singer Tigre Savoy at the nightclub where they both headline. On this night, accompanied by the driving rhythms set by the club’s band and its leader, known citywide as “Hot Licks Sam”, they have one last party before the city government and the Secretary of the Navy shuts them down, forcing them to find a new home.