 With De Gier taking the day off, Grijpstra investigates the disappearance of a man from Rotterdam who was staying at an Amsterdam hotel with the help if Cardozo and a colleague from Rotterdam. Grijpstra suspects there is a connection between the disappearance and a young cook who is playing a dangerous game by preparing fugu- a Japanese dish made from a poisonous fish which, if not properly prepared, can be lethally poisonous. De Gier seems to lament his break-up with Elise.