The Rest is Silence follows the journey of an anonymous, unclaimed body through its progress from discovery to cremation. The film's focus is not on the body, but on those who guide it through the necessary procedures and the rituals leading to its interment. The progression to a silent state of the person who is now a corpse and for whom all this work is carried out, is the core of the film. Without sensationalizing, the film documents events through a series of significant moments that are revealing and poignant.