The private detective Jussi Vares finds two corpses in a remote house; one of the victims is badly mauled, as in a ritual murder.

A year later, Vares is hired to investigate exactly this case. He finds evidence that the criminal shadow world of the Finnish west coast is dominated by an ominous godfather. He is called the sheriff - nobody knows him and nobody talks about him. Vares comes dangerously close to a gentlemen's club, called "The Council", operating under the wings of the sheriff. To the council members, life is a cheap commodity.
As Jussi Vares's investigation progresses, he gets too close to the truth and therefore his life is in danger...