Algonquin Bay, a small nest in Ontario in southeastern Canada, is an inhospitable place in winter. The ice cover on the lake can support a freight train, and Detective John Cardinal can use the bedroom in his wooden cabin as a freezer. Not only the cold but also the loneliness troubles Cardinal since his wife was committed to a psychiatric facility and his daughter is studying art at the elite university Yale. When playing children discover a body on an island in the lake, Cardinal, who has been transferred to the property crimes unit, initially feels he is not responsible. However, the body frozen in a block of ice turns out to be thirteen-year-old Chippewa Katie Pine, who was kidnapped months earlier. Contrary to his supervisor's opinion, Cardinal has been convinced from the start that a violent crime has occurred and is relieved to finally be allowed to investigate further. Less pleased is Cardinal about his new partner, Lise Delorme, who recently worked for the special investigations department. Is she possibly tasked with spying on Cardinal? Because he indeed has something to hide. Cardinal's worries only increase when more bodies are found.