A girl's body lies, posed, on the pale sand of a Hamburg beach, a message concealed in her hand: "I have been underground, and now it is time for me to return home."
Four days later, a man and a woman are found deep in woodland, their throats slashed, the names "Hansel" and "Gretel" written on slips of paper pressed into their hands. As Jan Fabel, of the Hamburg murder squad, interprets this twisted imagery, it becomes clear that each new crime is a grisly reference to folk stories collected by the Brothers Grimm. The hunt is on for a serial killer who is exploring the darkest, most fundamental fears hidden in ancient fairy tales.
