Detective H. Grímsson has solved many murder cases and has captured quite a few dangerous criminals and madmen. He is intelligent, hard as nails and very resourceful. But he is also his own worst enemy. After an unfortunate shooting incident in Iceland's largest shopping mall on Christmas Eve, he is demoted to a police deputy in a small rural village in eastern Iceland. Grímsson's plan is to kick back, drink some beer and enjoy this time away from home.
When two young female hitchhikers disappear, Grímsson fears that the girls are lost in the highlands or have drowned in the merciless glacial river. But then one of the girls wanders naked into the village and dies in Grimsson's arms. Grímsson organizes a massive search for the second missing girl. Is one of the villagers responsible for the girls' disappearance? The perpetrator could easily be a member of the rescue team looking for the missing girl.
When Grímsson finds out that foreign girls have disappeared in the area before, he realizes that he might be dealing with a devious serial killer-a real monster who hides behind an innocent and bland façade. Evil is at large.
