Fifteen-year-old Kate is at a museum in The
Hague with her father and mother. There she sees one of
Johannes Vermeer’s most famous masterworks, “Girl with
a Pearl Earring”. Later, Kate’s father realizes that he has left
his guidebook and passport at the museum. The museum
guard Paul Van Dyck was closing the door, but Kate asks
him to let her in. When they come near “Girl with a Pearl
Earring,” they encounter two thieves. Paul is wounded and
Kate is kidnapped.
Pages 8–14: Kate realizes that the thieves have stolen
“Girl with a Pearl Earring.” First she is forced into a car,
and later she is taken to a boat. Inside the boat, she finds
a ship in a bottle. She quickly writes a note, puts it in the
bottle, and throws it into the canal. An old man finds her
note and reports to the police. Kate and the painting are
rescued. Back in The Hague, the museum’s director gives
Kate a pair of pearl earrings as a reward.