Gothenburg 1925. Chief Constable Nils Gunnarsson is called to the shantytown of the lawless wrecks. Among the dilapidated barracks by the river is a dead man whom the wrecks have salvaged from the water. The unknown man leads Gunnarsson on a hunt, first to the city's finer circles and later to the infamous Pestön. The island previously served as a quarantine station, where sailors were kept isolated so as not to spread infection. But what's going on there now? And who is the man being held captive on the island? To solve the riddle, Gunnarsson gets help again from the late Ellen Grönblad.

 "Pestön" is a historical novel in the Gothenburg environment and a stand-alone sequel to Marie Hermanson's latest book, "The Great Exhibition". The main characters are the police Nils Gunnarsson and the journalist Ellen Grönblad.