Racing to the red light, only to find themselves wanting to go further, mankind have ripped the natural world apart and surrendered their freedom to a joyless gratification. In an attempt to help themselves they've created a system, a pattern, that despite their attempt to create an utopia have given birth to the exact opposite.

In 2027, everyone is implanted with a chip - the Memorize-chip. It records everything you see, a new system to fight crime. One unit controls the system. The SSU - Special Surveillance Unit.

In a parallel present the artificial human has come into its own. Robots no longer have anything robot-like about them. New technology and advancements in the field of science have made it possible to manufacture a product - a kind of mechanized servant - that is so similar to a real human that it can often be considered a perfectly good substitute.

JB is the city's best attacker, who lives a carefully organized life in and outside the network. After hacking into the most powerful of all domains the Stoiser domain, JB thought that the cruel Stoiser would kill him. But instead he gave him a job - as a webmaster.

Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.