Magnus Trygg is a happy man. Although halfâ€Thai, he thinks of himself as fully Swedish. He loves his Swedish wife, his two young children and his home in the sparsely populated northern county of Jamtland. He is proud of his job as a junior policeman in the local force, with special responsibility for the welfare of immigrants. Then a young Kurdish girl is found in the forest, tied to a stake and shot. Magnus, waiting with the body throughout the long summer night until an Inspector is available, discovers the murder weapon. It suggests an honour killing, and he is ordered to bring in the father, Hashmet Nazif.
But Magnus knows Hashmet, likes him, and is convinced he would never harm his daughter. Rashly, he decides to use his local knowledge to uncover anything that may reveal a different truth. It is a very dangerous decision.