Thomas Buch has refused to resign and calls a party meeting to challenge the authority of the prime minister. He finds an unexpected ally in the minister of defense. Lund and Strange head to Afghanistan to seek out Frederik Holst, a doctor with a grudge against Raben and his squad. They also decide to visit the house where a family was allegedly killed while the Danish soldiers were there. Back in Copenhagen, Brix organizes a search of the army barracks and finds a locker full of incriminating objects.

Lund and Strange return from Afghanistan with their findings, though Brix has become convinced of the guilt of officer Bilal, who has run away with Louise Raben as his hostage. Buch has been held overnight by the police, but returns determined to bring down the government he is part of. Secrets are uncovered at the ministry and in the military, revealing a conspiracy to conceal vital information. Lund puts together some pieces of her own, and it comes to a lethal confrontation with the killer.