An abused woman is feverishly sought by police in the murder of her ex-husband but is being hidden by abused woman-advocates. At the same time, Gunvald Larsson discovers a police report that his long-estranged sister has been abused. He confronts her with his knowledge but she denies it.

A paparazzi photographer gets brutally murdered in Stockholm. His apartment is searched and the computer together with photo equipment is missing.

After a woman buys a Japanese shunga painting from an auction and later is found murdered in a hotel in Stockholm, the police gets dragged into a murder investigation where they meet the dark side of the art world.

Two patrolling cops stumble on to three criminals who have just stolen large amounts of explosives, and are killed in cold blood. Martin Beck and his team must now work day and night to find out who the killers are and what they are planning to do with the explosives before it's too late. Meanwhile, Gunvald Larsson who was a close friend of one of the murdered cops is ignoring all rules in his quest for revenge.