Klaus Borowski travels to Finland to question Ralph Böttcher, a German adolescent, within the framework of a current investigation. Böttcher, a 17-year old former junkie, lives in a Finnish camp as part of a resocialization scheme, and has allegedly raped and murdered Anni, a girl from the neighbouring village. He denies the allegations, but is put in pre-trial custody in a Finnish prison. As Borowski and his Finnish colleague Mikko transfer the boy to Helsinki, they make a serious mistake: Ralph knocks down Borowski, tricks Mikko and escapes in Mikko's car and – most importantly – Mikko's gun. Mikko, his colleague Tuulia and their boss Rane take up the chase and unravel the case of the dead Anni. Borowski and his German colleague, police psychologist Frieda Jung, help them. But the investigation is going round in circles – and ultimately Borowski no longer knows what to believe.