The Inquisition is in full swing in 16th century Flanders. Wanted for his dissident writings, the alchemist doctor Zeno has been wandering Europe under an assumed name for twenty years. But he remains a non-conformist. He returns to his native Bruges, where he thinks he has been forgotten. In this silent labyrinth where the faces of the past resurface, he rediscovers his identity and thus signs his death warrant.

Wang Fo, the greatest master of medieval China, aided by his assistant who has given up everything to follow him, desperately seeks aesthetic perfection. A day comes when he thinks he has achieved it. But his genius arouses both the curiosity and the jealousy of the Emperor. Wang Fo will be able to escape the Emperor's vindictiveness only by going to the limit of his talents.

A countess' unrequited love for an army officer leads to disaster.