Europe 1946: The continent lies in ruins, and one of the most terrible winters of hunger in the century casts its shadows ahead. The German murderers are trying to escape overseas via the so-called "ratlines" over the Alps and Italy. Andreas Eckart, who had worked for the Berlin police during the Weimar Republic and later fled to the USA, is recruited by a special American unit to hunt down fleeing war criminals. Eckart had previously gained valuable experience in the fight against the Nazis and speaks perfect Italian. Initially, the traumatized and aging ex-commissioner hesitates, but it quickly becomes clear that the Americans have his former colleague and rival Wagner, the "Butcher of Baranawitschy," in their sights. The trail leads to a mysterious monastery in the Alps...