Bye Bye Birdie is a musical satire about a rock and roll superstar, Conrad Birdie, who is drafted into the Army in 1958. To boost publicity and help his struggling manager, Albert Peterson, Birdie performs a farewell song on The Ed Sullivan Show and kisses a randomly chosen fan, Kim MacAfee, from Sweet Apple, Ohio. The arrival of Birdie causes chaos in the small town, as Kim's boyfriend, Hugo, is jealous, and the town's residents are swept up in the excitement, while Albert's secretary and girlfriend, Rosie, tries to help the show succeed.