The body of a slain woman is found in a Copenhagen park commemorating Danish Resistance in WWII. A symbolic act? An ex-soldier disabled while serving in Afghanistan is savagely killed. A deadly warning? Copenhagen’s Ho­micide Department is stumped. Detective Commander Brix knows who can help: Chief Inspector Sarah Lund, who was banished to the provinces after several foul-ups in her last murder investigation. She’s not the easiest to get along with – but she’s the best.

Sarah Lund is back, and her combinative powers are as sharp as ever. She soon discerns a common thread in the cases: all the victims are ex-soldiers, and all were stationed in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Denmark’s new Minister of Justice discovers that some of his fellow ministers are trying to foil the investigation… And ex-soldier Peter Raben, who has been committed to psychiatric care since his return from the War, escapes from prison to track down the killer on his own.

They are the protagonists of a twisting tale of top-level cover-ups, betrayals and lies set in a time of fear: that of Islamic terrorism, which clouds Sarah Lund’s investi­gation. The victims are all linked through the war in Afghanistan – but is this really the deepest layer of these killings, which represent a major threat to the entire Danish government?