Jing lives with her mother and grandparents in a small fishing village in a southern Chinese province. Instead of going to school, the deaf-mute teenager spends her time on a fishing boat with her mentally handicapped uncle – until one day she gets (too) close to him. Mei, a city kid rock musician of the same age, travels from club to club with her guitar, dreaming of an independent life. When Jing goes to live in the city with her hardboiled police officer father Zhang, the two girls come together. Mei is Zhang’s lover. Despite an initial standoff, the three manage to open up and create an emotional tie that gives their lives new perspective. SONGS OF SILENCE tells in elegantly convoluted sequences of the meeting and separating of the three protagonists, each of which is isolated in their own way.

Years ago, Ling had a dream. Even today she can remember every detail.