"Genius is close to madness and sometimes,
yeah, it got in the way. He was simply one of a kind."
- Sandra Dee on Bobby Darin

“I heard 'Splish Splash' and there was a little
excitement in the record.
I wanted to meet this kid, so I sent for him. He came in,
and he was a cute little guy, about 22 years old --
darling little boy. And I told him I'd like to take him to Vegas.
I asked him to sing a song, and he got up and he sang a song,
and I took him to Vegas. Right after that,
'Mack the Knife' happened.
Well, you know what happened to Bobby Darin
after 'Mack the Knife.'
He skyrocketed, he went right through the roof.
And the following year I sent for Bobby Darin,
and I said, 'Bobby, how about Vegas?'
He says, 'Okay.' I sang him a song, and he took me.
- George Burns on Bobby Darin

“If you're ever up in Big Sur and you visit Pfeiffer Beach under a full moon, and you pause for a couple of minutes, I promise you, you'll hear Bobby Darin singing 'Beyond the Sea.'"

For Bobby Darin, performing was his life. It kept his heart beating. He came alive onstage, even when he was near collapse offstage. In Beyond the Sea, Bobby tells his own story.

At age seven, Bobby gets rheumatic fever that damages his heart forever. The doctor tells his mother Polly he'll be lucky to live to the age of fifteen. Polly and Bobby's older sister Nina take care of him, along with Nina's husband Charlie.

Modern medicine and determination keep him alive, his heart's still ticking, and by 20, with the help of his best friend turned manager Steve Blauner and musical director Dick Behrke he's working his way up, from tacky clubs to performing in Vegas, finally scoring a hit with 'Splish Splash'. But Bobby wants more. As he tells Life Magazine, he wants to be a legend by 25. "Mack The Knife" makes him the star he's dreamed of becoming but for him this is only the beginning.

The hits keep coming and his life keeps evolving, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Captain Newman MD. Never satisfied with success, Bobby continues to reinvent himself and moves from rock and roll into pop, gospel, country & western and folk music. By the end of his brief 14-year career Bobby Darin he's had more hits in more genres of music than any recording artist except Elvis Presley and Ray Charles.

When he kicks off his acting career, he meets movie star Sandra Dee while filming Come September in Italy. He falls for her, but has to jump through hoops to get around Mary, Sandy's possessive and overbearing mother. Despite her protests Bobby and Sandy get married and seem like the perfect Hollywood fairytale couple. But the conflict of her acting career and his touring puts a strain on the relationship. His dogged pursuit of fame and fortune isolates him from the very people who love him and believe in him. His master plan for 'Bobby Darin the star' doesn't leave much room for 'Bobby Darin the man'.