A jawbone is found in the middle of the forest. When the rest of the body is found, it turns out it has been recently moved and belongs to Viktor Eklund, who has been missing for five years. His mother, well-known author Cecilia Eklund, has just managed to put his disappearance behind her. Martin Beck was investigating the disappearance but Alex thinks the case is unusually thin and not worth Martin pursuing further, although he thinks differently.