John Papas's musical instrument repair shop introduces the themes of The Unicorn Sonata. John Papas works on instruments while Joey cleans and shelves the stock. She comes to Papas's shop partly out of affection for Papas and partly because he gives her a fatherly attention that she does not experience at home. Papas has recognized Joey's musical gift and takes time out from his labors to instruct her in the rules of musical notation and the complexities of musical composition.

A music shop is an obvious place to try to sell a musical instrument, and thus the strange boy Indigo tries to sell to Papas a horn that can produce mesmerizing, haunting music. Having heard and even composed some of the music, Joey cannot get it out of her mind, and it provides a transition between her earthly world and that of Shei'rah, whose music she follows until...