Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.
The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.
The secret of the Lupin family treasure is out: its location is written inside a dictionary once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte himself! When the dictionary turns up as the prize for a historic motor car race, the notorious Lupin the Third and his criminal cadre race the world's superpowers to win - or steal - the Dictionary and unearth his grandfather's legacy of riches!
During the Japanese occupation of Korea, the Japanese Empire seeks to eradicate the Korean language and identity. In retaliation, a small group of Korean patriots try to protect their language by compiling the first Korean language dictionary.
Majime, an eccentric man in publishing company, who has unique ability of words, joins the team that will compile a new dictionary, The Great Passage. In the eclectic team, he becomes immersed in the world of dictionaries. But the team is overwhelmed with problems.
Miki is a young Hungarian boy who cannot quite understand why he is always the target of nasty bully-attacks at school. Is it because his Mum speaks a different language. Or because of the weird lunch she packs him? Determined to find out why, Miki embarks on a journey which leads his to discover he is, in fact, an Alien. The Alien Boy is a whimsical ride into a young boys perception of discrimination, alienation and ultimately belonging.
The publication of a new dictionary titled The Great Passage progresses. Mitsuya Majime, originally from publisher Genbu Shobo's sales department, has been recruited by Kouhei Araki, a veteran editor of the dictionary department who is looking to retire soon. The dictionary department is known internally as the "money-eating insect," but Mitsuya uses his perseverance and attachment to the words in order to become a great editor. Mitsuya, who has poor social skills, finds himself working with another man named Masashi Nishioka, who is able to express himself better.
