Ulf Varg, the longest-serving member of the Department of Sensitive Crimes in MalmÞo, is enjoying a quiet period in the office. Crime, it seems, is on the decline -- at least the sort of crime with which his department is concerned. This fact has not escaped the attention of the Police Commissioner, who has indicated that the Department will have to lose one member. It is not clear who this will be, and there is discussion among members of the department as to who will be chosen. This obviously makes the atmosphere a bit tense -- and some members see, in the actions of their colleagues, veiled attempts to discredit each another and therefore make demotion more likely. In the meantime, Ulf embarks on an important enquiry that leads him into complicated and murky waters. A wealthy landowner, Gottfrid Holm, has applied for membership of an exclusive club. Membership applications involve the mounting on the wall of a picture of the candidate, and members of the club writing to support or oppose membership. A number of objections to Holm are lodged -- sufficient, in fact, to ensure rejection -- but then suddenly withdrawn. The secretary of the club finds that the objectors seem cowed, and he suspects pressure is being brought to bear on those members who did not want Holm to become a member. Ulf is asked to investigate to see if the crime of issuing threats has been committed. Along the way, Ulf's personal life picks up as does the inner life of Ulf's loyal, lip-reading dog, Martin.