After he witnesses his father murdering his mother's lover by his father, Tommy becomes catatonic, even as he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors in post World War II England. But one day he's discovered playing a pinball machine with such a knack that he's enabled to break from his catatonia and he becomes an international superstar. The classic '60s rock opera by The Who is transformed into one of the most thrilling musical smashes of the '90s.