Computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, struggling for life in a Stockholm hospital, is determined to live in order to find the one responsible for her injuries and to clear her name for three murders of which she is the prime suspect. While recovering, she puts her trust in journalist Mikael Blomkvist who is working to uncover the secret behind the man who shot her, her estranged father who is a Soviet intelligence defector and longtime secret asset to Sweden's security police.