Juan Cruz Balian sets out to investigate a question as old as humanity: will it ever be possible to talk to animals? To answer it, he’ll have to navigate the waters of linguistics, biology, artificial intelligence, and literature. Along the way, he’ll encounter thinking oceans, eroticized dolphins, controversial experiments with chimpanzees, domestic disputes among bats, orca rebellions on the high seas, and out-of-control algorithms. A bold, spiraling journey, honest and profound. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations, this playful essay invites us to turn down the noise of our own species. Because perhaps then, at the frontier of technology, we’ll find the keys to authentic communication, a perfect conversation partner, a shared code.