The Rose is a film that portrays the life of a female rock star whose character is quite similar to 60s rock icon Janis Joplin, who, with Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, represent the self-destructive side of that era (Joplin died of an overdose in 1970). The Rose starts out as ordinary Mary Rose Foster from a small town, but the film does not focus on her rise to success. Rather, it centers on the dark, downward spiral from the pinnacle of her fame. Rose begs her manager for time off, because she is over-worked and tired. Her manager's refusal to grant her request thrusts her into the arms of a young limousine driver named Houston Dyer. Rose's constant partying and drinking eventually cause Dyer to flee from her life, leaving Rose alone with nothing but her bad habits. The film concludes with The Rose returning to her home town to perform a final concert, during which she dies on stage from an overdose.