Mikael Blomkvist is contacted by renowned scientist Professor Balder. Fearing for his life, but more concerned for his son's well-being, Balder wants Millennium to publish his story.

More interesting to Blomkvist than Balder's advances in Artificial Intelligence, is his connection with a certain female superhacker.

It seems that Lisbeth Salander, like Balder, is a target of ruthless cyber gangsters that will soon bring terror to the streets of Stockholm, the Millennium team, and Blomkvist and Salander themselves.