An American woman arrives to the small Swedish town of Ystad. She is there to meet an internationally renown war photographer. They have an argument and the next morning the woman is found brutally murdered on the shores of the town. The photographer soon becomes the obvious suspect, as he is well known for his aggressive behaviour and drinking problems. Her American husband arrives to identify the body and claims the two had had an affair. Local crime inspector Kurt Wallander (Krister Henriksson) takes interest in the complicated case and soon finds out that the secret behind this act of violence lies somewhere far, far away from Sweden.