The leader of a religious sect in Guyana managed to provoke mass suicide. He killed himself and all his followers, except for one. Later, in the woods near Istaad (and in the Russian text: Истаде), police discover a severed head and hands with fingers clasped as if in prayer. Nearby they find a Bible—every page of it is covered with revisions and corrections. Taking up the investigation of this crime, Linda Wallander, the daughter of the well-known policeman Kurt Wallander, comes into conflict with a group of religious fanatics who believe themselves to be creators of God’s will on Earth.