A cold night in Oslo, on Christmas Eve, people are gathered at an outdoor Salvation Army concert. An explosion interrupts the music, a uniformed man falls dead, with a point-blank bullet to the head. Harry Hole and his team don't have much evidence at their disposal: there is neither a suspect nor a weapon nor a motive. But when the killer discovers he killed the wrong person, things start to get complicated. Thanks to the intensive work of his team, Harry manages to track down the hitman (through credit cards, a fake passport, and communication with his employer). Without money, only six bullets in his gun, and without shelter, the killer becomes increasingly desperate. He will do anything to eliminate his target.