Whiplash centers around Andrew Neiman, a 19-year-old jazz drummer who is determined to make a name for himself in the world of music. He enrolls in a prestigious music conservatory where he encounters Fletcher, a legendary but brutal jazz instructor. Fletcher pushes Andrew to extreme limits, using emotional and physical abuse to extract greatness from his students. The story explores the price of artistic perfection and whether the pursuit of greatness justifies the means used to achieve it.