November 4th, 2008. President-elect Barack Obama addresses an enthusiastic gathering in Chicago's Grant Park. With the three words 'Yes, we can', Barack Obama sums up the America's optimism and its capacity for change. The documentary 'The Speech' sets out to take this historic speech at its word. It seeks a dialogue about words and their effect, while also assessing a whole era. It takes us back to the beginning of Obama's presidency, to the energy of his words, to the hopes and achievements that this speech was targeting.