A man is beaten to death in the Middle East. In Stockholm, a young woman disappears on her way home from work. These two events will prove to be related. Since Martin Beck has quit, Steinar Hovland leads the search for the missing girl. But Martin is drawn into the case when he decides to help the national Security Police investigate a suspected terrorist. They soon realize that they are in a race against time to stop a catastrophe.
Simon Lindström, the popular coach of a suburban junior hockey team is found stabbed to death. Does the murder have something to do with his side project: teaching unaccompanied refugee children to ice skate? This undertaking has certainly not been appreciated by everyone in their small, sheltered community. Martin Beck, who has returned in a more senior position, struggles to find a replacement for the temporary head of the group, Steinar Hovland. But the Norwegian is becoming more and more interested in keeping his new role. The question is whether Martin can trust him?
The murder of a restaurant owner who is gunned down in front of a diner full of customers has unexpected repercussions for Alex, whose brother, Paul, represented two men expected of involvement in the killing. Meanwhile, Steinar, amidst tension with Alex and the breakdown of his marriage, accepts the offer of a transfer from Klas.
