It begins with a triple murder in a Moscow amusement park: three corpses found frozen in the snow, faces and fingers missing. Chief homicide investigator Arkady Renko is cynical about everything except his profession. To identify the victims and uncover the truth, he must battle the KGB, FBI, and the New York City police as he pursues a rich and ruthless American fur dealer. Meanwhile, Renko falls in love with a beautiful, headstrong dissident for whom he may risk everything . .