Lisbeth Salander has been traveling around the world after stealing three billion kronor from Hans-Erik Wennerström, a business tycoon. For Lisbeth, its odd living a life that is not in poverty, but she lives to the fullest. While visiting Grenada began a relationship with a sixteen-year-old lover. While there she encounters an American couple who argues a lot. She later discovers that the husband is abusive to his wife and plans to kill her in hopes to inherit 40 million dollars. During a strong hurricane, Lisbeth and her lover rescued the wife. The next day, the husband turned up dead.
After a year, Lisbeth returned to Stockholm where she rents a new apartment. While moving in, she decides to give her old apartment to Mimmi, an old friend and lover.
After meeting with Armansky, he tells her that he will not hire her again, but she convinces him that she no longer needs to work.
Mikael Blomkvist was pleased to learn that Lisbeth had returned to Stockholm. Blomkvist has been kept busy working with Dag Svensson on an article, exposing public officials in a scandal involving sex trade. Dag's girlfriend, Mia, is working on a proyect for her doctoral dissertation.
After Svensson and Mia end up murdered, police investigation shows Lisbeth's prints on the murder weapon. There was also suspicions that she killed Nils Bjurman, her former guardian who raped her.
The readers later meet Zala, who is a crime boss that has taken a liking in torturing women. Gunner Björck, a member of Säpo, is exposed in Svensson's article. Björck agrees to give Blomkvist information on Zala, if he writes him out of the article regarding his involvement in the sex trade. Later, Björck realized that he only has Blomkvist's word that he will not be exposed. Bjurman knew of Björck's involvement and calls Zala for help.
Later we learned that Zala is Lisbeth's father, she is determined to ruin her father's plan. Zala ends up shooting Lisbeth and tells Niedermann, who is Lisbeth's half-brother, to bury her. However, she's not dead and attacks Zala.
Mikael arrives at the farmhouse where he finds Lisbeth, collapsed on the kitchen floor. Lisbeth is alive but injured, so he called an ambulance.
