The horrid smell of car exhaust and pollution hitting your nose as you were rushing to your destination, tightly packed together, shoulder to shoulder. Feeling the hot breath of strangers on the back of your neck, this was the bustling city of Tokyo, Japan. Apart from the crowded city was, a small town called Kyoto. The sight of cherry blossoms blooming, the sweet angelic sound of birds chirping, made you feel as if you were finally at peace. Between these two different cities there is a cultural clash of a modern and traditional lifestyle.
The Tsukiyomi’s were a Japanese family living in the bustling city of Tokyo. The head of the household, Mr. Tsukiyomi Katsu, is a very wealthy, successful, and traditional businessman. However, since he is a workaholic he never has time for his family. Katsu’s wife, Nigiri Tsukiyomi, a traditional woman, who is a well known Enka singer. Katsu adored the voice of the sweet, Nigiri. He believed she had the voice of an angel.
Their only child was their daughter, Amu Tsukiyomi. Nigiri gave up her role as an Enka singer to raise her daughter, so that Mr.Tsukiyomi can focus on work. Both Mr. and Mrs. Tsukiyomi decided to move to Kyoto, so that their beloved daughter Amu can learn more about Japanese traditions. After some years of settling in, and Amu was now thirteen years old. Mr. Tsukiyomi would leave to Tokyo, to go to work and would come back late. During the night, Mrs. Tsukiyomi would put Amu to sleep by singing to her. One night Mr.Tsukiyomi arrived home early and heard what sounded like his wife’s voice. He was mesmerized by her voice, for it sounded as if angels were singing.
After she was done, Mrs. Tsukiyomi would tell Amu that she has her gift of singing and to not let it go to waste. The Tsukiyomi’s lived happily until, one gloomy day, the mother, Nigiri died tragically due to a car accident. After mourning for several months, Katsu realized that Amu was looking more and more like her mother as time went on. He would have to send her away to boarding school, so he wouldn’t have to bear seeing his daughter becoming more like her mother.
While away at boarding school, Amu is now eighteen years old, and has found a new lifestyle that has placed her in a new world of Japanese rock. She decides to listen to her mother’s advice and to not let their talent go to waste. She meets a group of girls with the same music interest as her and they make a band called, Lotus Flower and Amu is the vocalist. Amu and her friends start performing in a small underground building in Tokyo, where at first they are not popular. However, Amu and her friends never gave up. After some months, Lotus Flower started getting recognition and soon the band had multiple performances.
Lotus Flower, was now Amu’s prize possession and she wasn’t going to let anyone take it away from her. Amu is now living a double life, as an “A” straight student during the day and a rock n roll vocalist during the night. The day has finally come when Amu has graduated boarding school. After five years of not seeing each other, Mr. Tsukiyomi congratulates her and they both head home. Amu’s father is so thrilled he tells Amu he has good news for her, he exclaims, “I have made arrangements for you as an intern at my business, you will be taking excessive notes as I will be guiding you and instructing you on how to run the family business. I have been waiting for this day since you were born, I know you’ll do a fine job taking good care of things when I’m no longer around.”
Speechless Amu willingly bows her head and says, “Thank you, but-” “I know, I know”, the father says, “It’s a big commitment to handle, but I know you’ll do great!” Knowing that her destiny isn’t about sitting behind a desk and taking over a huge company. She thinks about how she is going to tell her father the truth about her heart desires of being a vocalist in a rock band, but knows they will never reach an agreement with each other. So Amu just gives him a warm smile, but really on the inside she finds herself torn between, obeying her father’s wishes, or to disobey him and to follow her desire of being a singer.  
Amu begins to intern at her father’s company and soon realizes that working with her father is a huge mistake. At first Amu thought that her father will easily guide her, but she was wrong, all he ever did was yell at her for not paying attention or to write more notes down or just completely ignored her. “Amu, you must know that as being the last Tsukiyomi generation, I expect a lot from you. So no slacking off, no talking, no taking breaks, and you must always be at work ready to give your full effort, you understand?” Shrugging her shoulders along with a heavy sigh, annoyed Amu says, “Okay, I understand”.
Whenever Amu tries to comfort her dad, all he does is push her aside and says, “I'm busy” or “Now is not the time, I have an important meeting to attend to.” Amu soon realizes that their relationship is so complicated, she doesn’t understand why her father treats her like a stranger or why he refuses to have a relationship with her. As a result, Amu dedicates herself to her band which she uses as an outlet from her miserable life.
One day, when Mr. Tsukiyomi is at a meeting, Amu remembers that she has a live performance so she rushes to her event. When Mr. Tsukiyomi gets out of his meeting he notices his daughter is nowhere to be found.  After constant looking inside the building, Katsu decides to check outside. As wandering around, he sees what appears to be Amu rushing across the street into an old abandoned building, in which his corporation plans to buy and demolish. When he enters, he discovers hundreds of people packed in a cramped room screaming, “Lotus! Lotus! Lotus! Lotus!” He then looks on stage and discovers Amu dressed in, ripped shorts, with black leggings underneath, black biker boots, and a Rolling Stones shirt.
Full of rage, he walks onto the stage and begins to scold her, “Amu Tsukiyomi! What is this nonsense!  You are a disgrace to the Tsukiyomi name and if you do not quit this band you are shunned from this family!” Feeling hurt, but still manages to speak up, Amu tells her father, “This is what I was born for. Not to be working behind some stupid desk, but singing in front of thousands of people and knowing that I’ll be accepted. Now I know why mother loved doing this so much. It makes you feel as if nothing can stop you, as if you're actually living.”
“You know what’s stupid, actually thinking you’re going to make it as a singer.” With these words Amu’s heart breaks and with a dull voice she tells the crowd to go home. Not letting anyone see her cry, she begins packing her band equipment and with one final glance Amu turns to her father and says, “Watch me turn into a success.” and walks with her friends. At home Mr.Tsukiyomi weeps and calls out to Nigiri for forgiveness to what he has done to their daughter. “I never meant to say those words to her. What have I done, she will never forgive me. I have nothing left now….”
As months go by, Amu and her band become more popular and end up all over the media. Mr. Tsukiyomi filled with guilt, realizes what he did was wrong and wishes for his daughters forgiveness. Soon after Amu’s band has been widely noticed, the band is asked to perform at a wedding. Taken back, Amu tells the father that Lotus Flower is a rock band, but the father tell her that he knows what type of music they play, so of course they say yes.
Mr.Tsukiyomi is invited to his best friend’s daughter’s wedding. As he arrives, and starts walking near the backyard he starts to hear what sounds like his daughter;s voice. As he makes his way, Mr. Tsukiyomi looks and there upon the stage, Amu is making a toast to the bride and groom. Katsu, who is shocked finds his friend and tells him, “Why did you allow to have a rock band perform at your daughter’s wedding?” the friend simply said, “I love my daughter, times have changed Katsu, modern is not bad just new. You’re living in the past, what is the most important to me is my daughter’s happiness.”
Not wanting to see his daughter Mr. Tsukiyomi begins to leave. When all of a sudden he remembers the song Nigiri used to sing to Amu when she was little and her beautiful voice which resonated through the crowd. Katsu is struck with emotion because he knows this is his only opportunity to see his daughter and because it was the same voice as his wife’s but only this time it was his daughter, Amu singing.
After Lotus Flower is done performing, Katsu finds Amu, falls on his knees and begs for his forgiveness, “Amu, I was wrong, everything I told you was a huge mistake. I’m sorry for not being there when you were little, I’m sorry for not being there when your mother died, I’m sorry for sending you off to boarding school, and I’m sorry for putting you down. I thought I knew what you wanted, but in reality it was just what I wanted. I’m so proud of you Amu, and know that I will always love you.” Amu who is speechless and crying endlessly, feels she has finally gained acknowledgement from her father on who she truly was. Amu picks her father up and embraces him with a warm hug and softly says, “I forgive you.”