A journalist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing -- or dead -- for forty years by a young female hacker.

Mikael Blomkvist is having a relationship with his partner in the magazine, who is amarried woman whose husband knows about their relationship. He's hired to find who murdered Harriett and Lisbeth Salander the girl with the dragon tattoo) helps him and they have an affair. Harriett becomes Blomkivist's lover when she comes to the magazine board meetings. A policewoman also becomes one of Blomkvist's lovers. This is all in the open.