Bruges chief inspector Pieter Van In, grumpy head of detectives, is even less friendly as his bank is about to foreclosure on his house due to systematic mortgage payment delays. New substitute Hannelore Martens soon flirts with him, while taking an instant dislike to politically connected, ambitious veteran magistrate Joris Creytens, who invokes his experience to wave routine forensics and close cases without proper investigation. The city is hit by a wave of violent crimes, including an apparent terrorist bomb at a statue, which the mayor orders police chief Roger De Kee to give top priority, especially the theory it may link to a never solved Walloon extremist bomb decades ago.
A child digs up an old skeleton on the land of a former farm, converted into a bordello, later semi-donated to a shady charitable foundation which sold it to the present owner couple, former whore Linda Aerts and the husband William she reports missing and cleared out a bank account she claims joined and has the banker compensate privately, as price for privacy. Van In soon suspects the key is the link to the murky activities of the foundation and its rich main donor's present 'executive' bordello, formerly managed by William. It turns out he's presiding a committee of notables, one by one being murdered grotesquely, including criminal attorney Provoost.
Jeweller Ludovic Degroof is burglarized. Nothing is stolen, but a note is left behind, a letter with a mysterious square.
A crazy high-profile poison murder recalls the old ritual cases of the Church of Asmodeus, so far believed defunct for a generation. About to be pensioned off forensic chemist Raf Geens arouses Van In's interest, not just for spotting a usually undetected rare poison. The only trail is to the cult's mysterious master, who goes by the Latin pseudonym Venex, the only probably useful witness junkie Jasper Desender, estranged son of a tycoon, whom Pieter takes in at home, but returns on shopping mission for Hanne to his dodgy church contact and dealer Richard Coleyn, ...
Rich investment adviser Patrick Claes is strangely reserved and uncooperative after the robbery of his expensive antique guns collection. The workaholic cares little about his wife Judith Claes-Noordervliet's open promiscuity, all the more about exclusive clients, as their 'privacy' is compromised by the real loot inside the gun cabinet: a CD with his secret accounts if illegal dealings. Later author client Olaf Asselberghs is murdered, Russian mob super client Serov posts his henchman Diego Cardoen who poses as Claes's butler. Judith is missing, actually locked in...
High court justice Heydens's corpse is found in his Bruges estate, a staged suicide. His son Valentijn starts the investigation by telling his suspicions to ex Hannelore, but jealous Van In can't handle any contact between them, so she moves out a while, leaving him with the twins. Commissoner De Kee only cares for the royal visit and orders Van In to supervise security measures and wants the embarrassing case swept under the carpet, as suggested by haughty, influential notary Broos. Heydens's remarried ex is found hanging too, another apparent suicide.
Van In delegates security for a museum visit by the daughter of Spanish prime minister Aznar to Neels, while he and Versavel suspects links between violent crimes and the security breach at that very Gruuthuse museum, where security chief Ferdinand Boedt waves a warning, while his wayward son Olivier is a next victim. Van In's fanciful acquaintance, the Spanish director of Bruges' 'College of Europe' (post-graduate EU studies) next door, is somehow connected with the ETA terrorist cell that plans lucrative and political crimes.
Hannelore's niece Merel visits Bruges with her Chilean-born US husband Silvio Pavez, who comes direct the Dutch version 'Vagevuur' of his hit play Purgatory, freely inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet. Van In sends Versavel on holiday to make up with his gay partner, feeling he can cope without his right hand in the case of the amputated finger found in the Concertgebouw (theater) subterranean parking. It doesn't belong to Frank Lernout, the petty criminal wrongly assumed to have died in the his home's arson. To chief De Kee's fury, Van In focuses on Shakespearean drama...
Isabelle Van Stavoort, de dochter van een succesvolle zakenman, wordt op klaarlichte dag ontvoerd. De daders gaan daarbij heel driest te werk en schieten Isabelles lijfwacht in koelen bloede neer. Al snel blijkt dat het niet om een gewone ontvoering gaat. Van In vermoedt zelfs dat Luc De Ghandt, Isabelles echtgenoot, betrokken zou kunnen zijn bij de zaak. Inspecteur Tom Smeekens ligt nog steeds in coma nadat hij het leven van zijn partner Jelle Cockx heeft gered. Cockx bezoekt hem dagelijks, maar de dokters kunnen niet met zekerheid zeggen of Smeekens ooit uit zijn coma zal ontwaken. De Maegd viert zijn twintigste huwelijksverjaardag. Hij heeft echter geen idee van wat hem even later te wachten staat.
Together with some other men, Fred Sermont functions as a test person for a new medicine. When he suddenly disappears out of the hospital, his twin brother Karel demands the police for an investigation. At the farewell reception of Andrea Kosinsky, Van In discovers a secret about Eva and De Kee.
After being accused for the murder on his own wife, defendant Ben Van Marcke escapes out of the police quarter to look after his young daughter, who is the only one who believes he is innocent. The girl's aunt Kartien De Jongh however fears Van Marcke will abduct his daughter. Soon the inevitable happens.
A young agent of the Belgian State Security Service was murdered after tailing suspected Russian spy Angela Terenteva. Two of the victim's colleagues end up working together with Van In and his team, but the co-operation does not run very smoothly. Meanwhile inspector Tom Smeekens gets a surprising job proposal.
A singer receives multiple death treats, but seems to care less about it than the police. They soon believe it is all just a sham, since a camera crew is following him 24/7 for a reality TV show. Van In has other things to worry about, now Hannelore has returned to Bruges and learned about his new relationship.
A huge load of cocaine is stolen out of a port container. Drug lord Antoon Coninckx is furious and orders his men to find and eliminate to ones who are responsible. Soon it becomes clear that also the family of inspector Tom Smeekens's girlfriend Linde is involved. After the working hours, Van In asks Eva for a second chance.
Van In does everything he can to track down the abducted Linde Swaegers and Machteld De Maegd. Drug lord Antoon Coninckx cannot believe his ears when he finds out who has betrayed him, and he takes a drastic decision. It is at that moment that inspector Jelle Cockx finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
