Is it possible that the Tortoise lives in the same hotel on Lake Garda that the musician Arthur Thalmann hid himself away in? His erstwhile teacher with the missing chin must be almost 90 by now. In truth, the violist has other problems: he fled before an important audition and is supposed to be practising. Instead, he is lying by the pool, strolling through picturesque passageways and becoming increasingly haunted by memories of his school days and the Tortoise’s sadistic methods. And by the guilt that he has burdened himself with.