A candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize is brutally stabbed to death in central Stockholm just after a meeting with two lawyers from the war tribunal in The Hague. One of the witnesses worked with Alex when she was stationed in the Middle East and they have an attraction to each other that makes Josef think she should stay out of the investigation. But Klas Fredén is pressuring the group to resolve the politically charged case before SÄPO takes over. Martin Beck is on sick leave but continues to go to work waiting for a diagnosis. He, Oskar and Jenny are forced to relate to the growing tensions within the group and it soon turns out that several of those involved carry dangerous secrets.