A fusion of dream/reality, The Sensation of Sight contemplates relationships, communication, and the meaning of life as it follows Finn (David Strathairn), an English teacher whose involvement with a tragedy has left him asking the age-old question Why? Leaving his family and his job, he sets about selling encyclopedias to town locals, including Dylan (Daniel Gillies), a former student whos estranged from his father (Scott Wilson) and sister (Elisabeth Waterston); Alice (Jane Adams), a waitress and single mother with whom he has a brief and awkward romantic encounter; and Drifter (Ian Somerhalder), a musician grieving the death of his brother (Joe Mazello). The interaction of these characters affects and alters each of them, while leading Finn ultimately to the end of his quest and a sublime awakening.