Wallander has become a grandfather and is trying to seize the role as good as it goes, because he wants to be closer to his daughter Linda and her family. When Linda's father in law mysteriously disappears, Wallander is drawn into the case that takes him back in time to the Cold War and the submarine violations in the Stockholm archipelago. At the same time he's starting to suspect that something is not right with him...

Kurt returns to work after a temporarly suspention. At the same time a girl disappeares which draws in the entire Ystad police and military looking frantically for her. When Kurt starts to work on the case, he begins to see similarities to a case he worked on ten years earlier, which hit him very personally.

A young woman arrives at the Ystad police station to report her mother missing. Soon afterward the mother is found near the family home. Ystad police end up in a situation that constantly stirs up new topics, while police suspect that the father is the culprit. On a personal level Martinsson becomes increasingly worried about Kurt as he is starting to get more and more problems with his memory.

Kurt Wallander has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, but has a hard time accepting it and are therefore trying to keep it a secret for the surroundings. At the same time an arsonist who has served his sentence is freed from prison.