A man's body is found, hidden in the snow, under a tree on a Christmas tree farm near Larvik, Norway. This is investigated by William Wisting and his team of detectives. Fingerprints link the death to Robert Godwin, an American serial killer who has been on the run for more than 20 years. He is believed to have fled to Larvik, "hiding in plain sight", having assumed the identity of a local resident. In response the FBI sends Special Agents Maggie Griffin and John Bantham to assist the Norwegian investigation. But they must keep their presence secret to avoid alerting the killer, who they fear will flee again.
Wisting's daughter, Line, is a journalist writing a story about their next-door neighbour, who had died alone in his house. Unwittingly, her investigating opens up connections with the police murder investigation and she becomes a target. Line's liaison with Bantham, allowing her to discover his identity, compromises his cover. Meanwhile, the police discover the killer's principal dumpsite, the body count sharply rises and the hunt moves over the border into Sweden before Wisting and Griffin corner the killer in a dramatic climax.
Wisting appears on a national television show to discuss the Robert Godwin case. Instead he is ambushed by Philip Henden, a lawyer representing Vidar Haglund, who was jailed for 17 years in a different murder case. Now released, Haglund has always maintained his innocence. The crucial DNA evidence, placing him at the crime scene, is shown to have been tampered with, so Wisting is suspended while the investigation is carried out. Line Wisting is outraged that her father is being hounded by the newspaper for which she works and resolves to clear his name, but a murder case she is working on starts to become connected to everything else.