When a Swedish national goes missing in Cape Town, Wallander is brought in to piece together the mysterious puzzle. Little does he know that behind the woman's disappearance lies a complex conspiracy, which leads Wallander on a treacherous journey through both the beauty and sorrow of an emerging South Africa.

The detective investigates when a body is found half-buried in a swamp, Visiting her home, Wallander discovers signs of an intruder and that the dead woman's daughter is missing. The return of a lost love distracts him from the case at hand, as he encounters a gang of bikers that have been causing trouble in the area and begins to suspect he is being watched.

Linda's father-in-law Håkon Von Enke vanishes and Wallander becomes entrenched in his most challenging missing person's case so far.