Barry B. Benson's post-graduation disillusionment with his predetermined life of honey-making, leading him to break the cardinal bee rule by talking to human florist Vanessa Bloome, discovering humans steal honey, and subsequently suing humanity, which collapses the ecosystem until he realizes the vital role bees play, leading to a truce and a new, blended human-bee economy, all summarized by the famous line, "You like jazz?".