A body is found in a Danish bog in the grounds of a residence of aristocracy wearing the uniform of the SS, mutilated with the Viking blood-eagle. Soon afterwards, a member of the Danish resistance cell called the Nightingales is murdered by the same method he used himself in wartime liquidations. British MI6 send analyst Angelica Lux to Copenhagen to investigate. Angelica meets Sara, Danish archaeologist working the site at Lethragard, home to the current Count of Lethragard, and Ash, the British assistant who becomes an unlikely ally.
What at first seems like an archaeological investigation into a mutilated body dressed in the uniform of the SS becomes a journey to the past, uncovering the secret operations of wartime resistance cell involved in liquidation operations. As Angelica’s investigation takes her on a journey of discovery, the illusive and true nature of her involvement is only gradually revealed, leading to a revelation as disturbing as it does raise more questions about what happened in the past.
A year later, the events-in-motion lead to the murder of Danish Art Gallery owner Thomas Denisen in Sweden, and the entrance of detective Hasse Almquist on the scene.