Sitting on the cold steps of her new school, Vaka concludes that her father has forgotten to pick her up, and the school is already locked for the day. When a girl approaches, Vaka recognizes her immediately from class, and from her unusual appearance: two of her fingers are missing. Going back to the girl's house just behind the school, on the other side of a high fence, Vaka asks to call her father. That afternoon is the last time anyone sees Vaka, and so Detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja are called in to make their second investigation (after The Legacy), a case that is shocking and far more complex than it appears.