Lisbeth Salander and her father Alexander Zalachenko are transported to the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, where Lisbeth is submitted to a surgery to remove a bullet from her skull. During her recovery, she is assisted by the gentle Dr. Anders Jonasson that helps her, avoiding contact with the police, since Lisbeth will face trial for attempted murder of her father with an ax when she is discharged. Meanwhile Mikael Blomkvist asks his friend, the lawyer Annika Giannini, to defend Lisbeth but they need evidences to prove her innocence. Further, she needs to disclose the sordidness she was submitted in her life by her guardian Bjurman and by the Chief Psychiatrist at St. Stefan's Dr. Peter Teleborian in Uppsala; however Lisbeth is reluctant to open her life in court. When Zalachenko is gunned down in the hospital, Lisbeth is protected by the police. Mikael uses the Millennium's resource to investigate the connections of the criminal Evert Gullberg and is contacted by the Constitutional Defense Agent Monica Figuerola. Together with the task force, they disclose a rogue security service ring that has protected the defected spy Zalachenko. Further, they discover that the group is threatening Erika Berger and is plotting to discredit Mikael. Meanwhile Ronald Niedermann is stalking Lisbeth while the hacker Plague is trying to crack the laptop of Dr. Peter Teleborian.