A young boy is killed in a hit and run. Under the cover of rain and darkness, the driver escapes the scene. But the incident will change his life forever as he becomes the victim of blackmail ...Meanwhile Van Veeteren, now retired from the Maardam police, faces his greatest challenge yet when a family member becomes the victim of a terrible crime. And, as the body count rises, it gradually becomes clear that the person behind these murders is acting on their own dark logic.