Outlaw hacker Lisbeth Salander is awaiting trial for three murders. A Swedish intelligence agency is attempting to silence her, and her brother is out to kill her. She receives help in the form of journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who has been gathering evidence about her tragic past in order to build her defence case.

Swedish detective Kurt Wallander investigates a series of murders in the south of the country, near Skane, and uncovers corruption at the heart of the establishment.