The eight-year-old Simon runs in front of the car of Inspectors Klaus Borowski and Mila Sahin as they are driving through a coastal forest. The disoriented child tells them that his grandfather is dead in the woods, and that he was attacked by a dog but protected by an Indian. A search of the forest yields nothing, but Borowski notices a sailboat in the bay. Simon's parents confirm that Heinrich, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, has disappeared. Although the Flemmings have taken him in, the family relationship is strained; Heinrich used to live in an alternative commune, and his Danish partner Inga had threatened to bring him back there – by force, if necessary. The next day, Heinrich's body is found on the beach next to a rotting dog carcass. The boat has disappeared without a trace. Who killed Heinrich? Borowski is certain that Simon saw the perpetrator.