Denmark's No. 1 bestseller Niels Oxen, a severely traumatized elite soldier, withdraws into the solitude of the Danish forests to escape his inner demons. But during a nightly visit to Nørlund Castle, he becomes the prime suspect in a murder case: Hans-Otto Corfitzen, former ambassador and founder of a think tank, was tortured to death at the castle. Oxen gets caught by the Danish secret service. His only chance: Together with the tough secret service employee Margrethe Franck he has to find the real culprits. The traces lead to a powerful secret society.