A serial killer starts murdering Oslo's police officers and not even Harry Hole is safe. Several police officers are found murdered at the scene of an old and unsolved murder case that they were involved in investigating. The killings are extremely brutal and bestial. The police have no leads. What's more, they're missing their best investigator. A severely wounded man in a coma is kept alive at a hospital in Oslo. The room is guarded by the police and the identity of the patient is kept secret.