In the harsh, distant Nordic landscape of Lapland, shrouded in the unremitting darkness of winter, a drunken evening ends in two deaths.
But when Constable Torsson skis out to investigate, he is met with a conspiracy of silence - witnesses contradict and confuse one another; the only clue is a bloodstained mahjong tile. Reluctantly Torsson accepts their story and the case is closed...
Until the arrival of David, an eccentric redheaded painter determined to find out the truth. And as their investigation uncovers the full fury of small-town suspicion and guilt, events move inexorably towards a chilling and violent climax.
