After accidentally killing his father, an Italian-American teen runs away with an oddball 1960s traveling opera troupe, discovers he has a great voice and yearns to be an opera star, but his past guilt haunts his progress.

SYNOPSIS:

In shadows, an unidentified man prepares to sing an opera aria. Scene shifts to Philadelphia, 1959. Eight-year-old Tito is introduced to opera by his loving mother. Later, 17-year-old Tito is a one-time extra for a traveling opera troupe.

When his mother falls down a stairway and dies, Tito suspects his brutish father killed her. There's a fist fight. The father's head lands on a piece of furniture. Tito’s younger sister examines him and tells her brother the father is dead.

Tito runs away. Tracks down the traveling opera troupe before they leave town, and hooks up with them as a stage hand.

It's a coming-of-age story for Tito. Various troupe members help him along the way, including a scoundrel baritone and a sexy cellist. He's always haunted by the murder of his father and leaving his sister. When an FBI agent confronts Tito, he's afraid his past has caught up with him, but the investigation is about another co-worker.

The temperamental conductor discovers Tito has a gifted voice and works with him. The youngster loses his virginity to the sexy cellist, gets infatuated, and is lovesick when she drops him.

He has an embarrassing singing debut after smoking marijuana for the first time, as a jealous singer sabotages him. Tito wants to become a great singer, but lacks confidence, until his friends encourage him. Eventually, he attempts to put his past behind him and becomes lead tenor for the troupe. But, his nightmares and guilt for abandoning his sister continue.

Years later, a mature Tito returns to his old Philly neighborhood and hopes to find his sister. But the neighborhood has changed. There's no trace of her and not one clue.

Tito decides to focus on his career. Becomes a major opera star, sings at all the major opera houses in the world. He reunites with the sexy cellist, and they attend a performance by their former opera troupe.

The company's in bad shape money-wise, about to close up. The lead tenor gets drunk, and Tito volunteers to sing the final act. It's a huge triumph, in spite of a prank, where the soprano leaps off a castle to her death, but propels back into view when a trampoline replaces a mattress.

Tito promises to sing with the opera troupe for free, until they recover financially.

During rehearsals, he meets Gina, not only a great singer, but beautiful as well. Tito is smitten.

After a tremendous opening night, Tito invites Gina to sing with him at the New York Metropolitan Opera, to sub for an ill soprano. Their performance is a critical success, and Tito and Gina are now a romantic item.

At the stage door exit, Tito encounters a ghostly presence. His father, still alive.

Tito's father takes him to meet his sister, who moved to New York City as a teen. Escorts him to her grave. Dead of a drug overdose. Tito is overcome with regret.

When Tito prepares to check out of his hotel, the father confronts him. Threatens to reveal Tito’s past, unless he's paid. Tito says he won’t be blackmailed and calls his bluff.

Then, the father reveals he did kill Tito’s mother. Tito explodes with rage and attacks him. They wrestle. Crash through a window and onto a window washer scaffold.

The father stumbles, a rope on a pulley winds round his neck, he falls and is hanged outside the window.

Back to the opening scene. An elderly Tito, in prison clothes, performs for fellow inmates. A true operatic ending.

THE SPEAR CARRIER