In the Soviet Union of the late 1980s, a police investigator, Inspector Viktor Burakov, is assigned to a case that will take him to the dark corners of the human mind. He faces a series of brutal murders of young people in a small town, where the bodies are discovered in increasingly atrocious ways. In a system that constantly minimizes violence and prioritizes the state's public image, Burakov struggles against bureaucracy and the skepticism of his superiors, who do not want to believe they are dealing with a serial killer.
As Burakov follows the leads and tries to piece together the puzzle, he confronts the distrust of his colleagues and a system that seems to obstruct his investigation. His only ally is an American criminologist who brings a different and often more pragmatic approach to each new finding. As he uncovers more traces of the killer's brutality, Burakov becomes deeply obsessed with the case, leading him to question not only the system's ability to protect its citizens but also his own morality and that of those around him.
As the pressure mounts and time runs out, Burakov must decide how far he is willing to go to catch the monster that has sown panic and death in his community, risking his career, his mental health, and perhaps even his life.