One spring morning, on the outskirts of a village of 200 souls, the body of a girl is discovered. Covered in blood, she lies by the ancient larches of St. Gertraud, familiar to every schoolchild in South Tyrol. For generations, these trees have withstood everything – wind, weather and people; it is said that the entrance to hell lies beneath their roots. For their new case, Grauner and Saltapepe investigate in the Ulten Valley, whose inhabitants are taciturn, proud and god-fearing. Astoundingly quickly, someone comes forward and confesses to the crime: Haller, an architect and newcomer to the town. Yet the village community claims that Haller is just covering for his son Michl, who’s odd and makes everyone a bit uneasy. And Grauner, too, suspects it’s more complicated. Especially when seemingly antique papers are found not far from the scene of the crime – possibly from the lost journals of one of the famous guests of the Ulten Valley’s spa. They tell of a cold-blooded murder that occurred over a hundred years ago – a murder that continues to haunt the village today.
