Ljusdal, 1898: Farmer's wife, Sara, resorts to unusual and cruel methods to fullfil her dreams of a better life. With the help of archived material, court records and coroner Eva Rudd, history professor Roddy Nilsson and cultural journalist Gunilla Kindstrand, David Lagerkrantz breathes new life into an old criminal case.

An early autumn morning in 1928. 13-year-old Holger Stål is found murdered with an axe in his farm-workers hut. Shortly afterwards his father, brother and sister are also found killed. What has happened during the night? Is there an axe murderer on the loose?

With the help of archived material, court records and coroners Eva Rudd and Katarina Howner and genealogist Leif Mörkfors, David Lagerkrantz breathes new life into an old criminal case.