The bodies of mercilessly murdered young women are arranged in a crucifixion pose...The killer clearly leaves a message for the police. But what is its meaning? At first glance, this is the “handwriting” of a religious maniac. However, not a single victim, as the investigation finds out, led a particularly sinful life... The police put forward and reject version after version. And the experienced detective McAlpin, who is at the head of the investigative team, The question haunts me: why do all the murdered people look like a witness to a crime whom he failed to protect twenty years ago? Is it a coincidence? Or maybe the killer’s motive is hidden in the distant past?..