Harry Hole is at rock bottom. The woman he loves has left him, he's back on the booze, and his police career is over. When he awakens from a drunken stupor with his hands covered in blood, he discovers that the one person he swore to protect has been brutally murdered. With no memory of the night before, Harry finds himself as the prime suspect in a horrifying case. He must now hunt for the real killer, a twisted adversary from his past, to clear his name and prevent further bloodshed.