In 1977, after the death of his mother in a car accident, a young boy named Ben longs to know the father he has never met. An unfortunate lightning strike leaves him deaf, and following clues from his mother's possessions, Ben runs away from his home in Minnesota to New York City, embarking on a silent quest to find his father. His journey is intercut with striking visual montages, as he traverses a city vibrant with color and full of the hustle and bustle of the late 1970s.

Parallel to Ben's story, a narrative set fifty years earlier, in 1927, follows Rose, a deaf girl who lives under the strict watch of her father. Feeling isolated and misunderstood, Rose is drawn to the life of a silent film actress and keeps a scrapbook of news about her. She too runs away to New York, her black and white world contrasting with Ben's, yet their stories share a haunting symmetry. Rose's silent city is a stark difference from the lively one Ben inhabits, yet both are on poignant personal journeys that mirror each other in their search for identity, belonging, and connection.