Prague, May 1942: Reinhard Heydrich, the dreaded representative of the Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, was assassinated, the "executioner of Prague" succumbing to the consequences eight days later. While the Nazi leadership plans bloody retribution, Gestapo Commissioner Heinz Pannwitz is tasked with investigating the attack. His ruthless rivals from his own ranks, especially the brutal SS man Böhme, use their merciless methods to push him more and more to solve the case as quickly as possible and thus save thousands of people from the impending terror. Each step takes the investigator deeper into the dehumanized mechanisms of the Nazi government - and drives him to the brink of losing his humanity.

The novel draws on the memories of a real historical person, Commissioner Heinz Pannwitz, and offers a fresh look at the Heydrich period from the perspective of Nazi actors. It reveals the motivations that could have led them to exterminate Lidice and commit other atrocities, and necessarily touches on the question of guilt.