A gruesomely staged body is found on the Austro-German border. Police Inspector Gedeon Winter from Austria and Commissioner Ellie Stocker from Germany join the case and suspect this murder is merely the beginning of a larger scheme.

A German entrepreneur has been killed in Austria; evidence links this case to the first murder. Ellie and her Austrian counterpart Gedeon realise they are dealing with a highly intelligent and cold-blooded killer, who sees his victims as symbols.

The investigators unearth the Krampus legend - a symbolic creature infamous for punishing the naughty and unworthy. This leads them to Sebastian Brunner, head of a rural sect, whose books on the end of civilization seem to have inspired the killer.

Ellie and Gedeon team up with cultist Brunner to set a trap for the killer. But, they have to overstep legal boundaries in order to get this plan to work. They fake a copycat murder, hoping their target would be lured into reaching out to Brunner.

Gedeon's initial indifference turns into obsession and, together with Ellie, they dive into old case files hoping to find a trace of the killer.

In Salzburg, a fashion mall becomes a war zone after a deadly bombing which strikes fear in the general public. Politicians and the media demand immediate results from the police; the Krampus Killer makes it personal when he goes after Ellie.