The researchers at the Blue Palace become aware of an unknown named Felix van Reijn, who's a brilliant pianist. His playing is reminiscent of that of a virtuoso, who disappeared under strange circumstances. When the researchers take a closer look at van Reijn, they discover that he's also a brilliant chess player. The biologist Sibilla travels to Japan with van Reijn, where an old master of Japanese paintings soon dies. It doesn't take very long until van Reijn reappears as a genius painter of Japanese Zen art.