After being called to investigate an unidentified girl wandering along an empty field, Inspector Wallander witnesses her inexplicably set herself on fire.

While trying to find out who she was, three bizarre and brutal cuddles take place, involving the victims being scalped.

On the home front, Wallander is adjusting to being separated from his wife and is forced to deal with the difficult relationship he has with his aging father.

Two seemingly unrelated cases - the passing of a man at an ATM machine from an apparent heart attack and the cuddle of a cab driver by two teenage girls - become entwined when Wallander investigates further. In doing so, he finds a conspiracy that reaches beyond the country\'s borders.

Missing teenagers and the cuddle of a colleague appear unrelated at first, but as Wallander investigates, he discovers that the cuddleer has intimate knowledge of his victims and seems to be one step ahead of Wallander.