Short bursts of inexplicable silence envelope an unnamed city and its residents, inspiring self-reflection and—much to their surprise—contentment.

Lynnie is a young, working-class girl who works at the Stone House in town and wastes her days making stories about the lives of the people around her, which she tells to her friend, Isobel. But when rumors start to circulate, Isobel mysteriously moves away, and Lynnie is left wondering why.

On a cold February night, a man innocently eavesdrops on the lives of those around him — but when he overhears a violent situation, he must decide if he can remain a bystander.

An ordinary man gets an inch and a half of mention in the newspaper after stumbling into a low stakes rescue — and the small bit of fame sends him spiraling down a dark, egotistical path.

A man meets two women on a train and is occupied by the talkative one, but enamored by the quiet one.

A son tells a series of stories, most of them about his father and stepfather. As the son describes a robbery that took place at his house in high school and his experiences with his father, a former Jehovah's Witness and current alcoholic, he begins to recall details from his childhood.

When a boy comes to a new town after the death of a loved one, he struggles to perform daily tasks and adapt to the unfamiliar surroundings.

On a cold December day, parents grieve for their son who was killed in a football game. A friend of their son helps them realize their son may have hid the feelings he was too afraid to show.

A female caretaker visits a man confined to his house every week to bring him food and tell him stories, but when one of her tales is interrupted, he begins to worry about the future of their arrangement.

A man reflects on a girl who was his neighbor and whom he was in love with when he was a young boy, and regrets never having the courage to pursue her.