A young Dutch woman, Rosa, comes to Japan to learn the art of preparing fish from Master Hon, the best fish-chef in the world. Against her expectation Rosa has to work in the cleaning-kitchen, together with other unpaid novices. Here begins her lonely journey through the alien and hierarchic world of the famous fish restaurant.
Piet, who is studying computer science, is as inexperienced sexually as he is intelligent. When he notices that his feelings for Klara, a fellow student, are not really reciprocal, he is deeply hurt. After trying out sleeping pills on himself, he drugs Klara, with unexpected consequences.
