Louise Bonì, chief inspector at the Aachen CID, follows an injured Japanese monk who wanders silently in the countryside, apparently fleeing from something. She tries to find out his secret. With the help of the Japanese interpreter Richard Landen, she slowly gathers clues. But then she finds her colleague Hollerer shot in the forest, not far away from him lies the body of the other colleague Niksch. There is still no trace of the monk. The investigation leads Louise to the dubious Zen monastery Kanzan-an, where, in addition to the monks, Asian children who are waiting for their new parents are housed. Is there a connection? Louise has to struggle not only with this mysterious case, but also with herself, her father and her addiction.