Far away from home and her beloved but distant sister, Norah, Alice meets an old Japanese man on a train journey. Together they form an unlikely friendship at a crucial point in Alice's life where she is reflecting upon her family and her past, and disentangling herself from an old love affair.

Alice is fascinated by the poetry of technology, and Mr Sakomoto, a survivor of the atomic bomb, entrances her with his amazing stories of twentieth-century inventions, including Alexander Graham Bell and the mysteries of the telephone. Drawn together by their shared enthusiasms, these two solitary beings slowly come to rely on one another.

In Dreams of Speaking, prize-winning author Gail Jones paints with grace and skill the experience of needing to belong despite wanting to be alone.