Der Pass

A frozen body is found on the boundary stone right on the Austro-German border, as if propped up for some pagan ritual. Shortly after the disparate investigation duo, police inspector Gedeon Winter from Austria and commissioner Ellie Stocker from Germany, have joined up on the case. The killer has sent audio messages to the press. The unsettling recording from the victim taken before her death, as well as intricate elements of the crime, make the investigators suspect this murder is merely the beginning of a greater scheme.

A German entrepreneur has been killed in Austria. His secret lover was found comatose on a ski piste late at night, drenched in blood. Evidence links this case to the first murder. Ellie, the optimistic and confident investigator from Bavarian Berchtesgaden and her Austrian counterpart Gedeon, the nihilistic cynic from Salzburg, realise they are dealing with a highly intelligent and cold-blooded killer. His victims seem to be symbols for our modern, anonymous society that deserves to be punished.

Tipped off by the killer's horrific photofit, 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 civilisation seem to have inspired the killer. Through the cult leader, Ellie and Gedeon manage to contact the perpetrator via the internet. This achievement, however, can't stop the murder of a YouTube starlet on a lake near Salzburg.

In a joint effort with cultist Brunner, Ellie and Gedeon try to set a trap for the killer. For this plan to work, they have to overstep legal boundaries. Trying to gain the trust of the killer, they feign a copycat murder, hoping their target would be lured into reaching out to Brunner. Meanwhile, Ellie has started an affair with her superior, whereas Gedeon has been haunted by his shady past as a corrupt narcotics cop.

The demanding investigation has affected Ellie in a major way. The German policewoman and the Austrian cop bicker and fight constantly. While her positive life views get dulled and stunted, Gedeon's initial indifference changes into an obsession for cracking the case. After one lead brings them to yet another dead end, they have to start again from the top. They dive into case files of unsolved murders over the past years, hoping to find any trace of the serial killer.

A fierce detonation blows up a fashion outlet mall in Passau. Despite Ellie and Gedeon trying to evacuate the building in time, a child is fatally wounded in the explosion. The deadly assault riles up the general public, whereas politicians and the media demand fast results from the police. In Austria, Gedeon has to fight to stay on the case. In Germany, Ellie loses trust in her superiors more and more. After the Krampus Killer has leaked details of her affair with her boss to the press, her life collapses.

When the international press conference on the bomb attack gets interrupted, everybody suspects that something major must have occurred: A man wearing a Krampus mask has been shot during a gunfight with the police. It looks like he's the sought-after Krampus Killer. Neither his superiors nor politicians or press want to believe Gedeon's theory that this must be a copycat riding the real killer's coattails. The general demand for a success after months of fear and mayhem is simply too great.

In the Austrian region Steiermark, a decayed female body is found in a buried wooden box. When the victim is identified as Malica, Gedeon senses the Krampus Killer has struck again. At first, nobody shares his suspicion. But his reinvigorated eagerness convinces Ellie to pick up an unofficial investigation on their own. They find out that the Macedonian victim, Malica, has been reported missing back home.

Young cop Yela Antic works with Ellie Stocker on a murder case. When Ellie is overwhelmed by memories of the "Krampuskiller" during a mission, Yela sees her chance.

Gedeon wakes up from the coma. Meanwhile, Ellie struggles with her own trauma. The news reaches her that a young woman has been murdered in a forest near Salzburg.

Yela is sent to Austria as a liaison officer in the case of the murdered Germans. She visits Gedeon in the hospital and asks him for help. But the culprit narrowly escapes them.

A year has passed when another young woman is murdered in the Zill valley. The location and other evidence point to a hunter. Gedeon wants to officially work on the case.

Ellie investigates with Gedeon again. Is there a connection between the Zill Valley murders and the case of a coma patient? The perpetrator is warned by a mole in the police force.

Ellie and Gedeon use force to gain access to important documents. The trail leads to the influential building contractor family Gössen. Time is short, a young woman has been kidnapped.

When the brothers Alexander and Wolfgang Gössen are interrogated, Ellie and Gedeon show what they can do. Gedeon comes to the painful realization that he cannot return to the police force

Ellie stumbles upon evidence that changes everything. Back in Germany, she is celebrated for her success, but inconsistencies remain. Gedeon receives an offer from the Gössen family.

A string of mysterious murders on both sides of the Germany-Austria border shocks the region, but former partners German detective Ellie Stocker and Austrian investigator Gedeon Winter have become bitter enemies. While Gedeon sets out to find his childhood tormentor, Ellie is still trying to uncover the truth about the murder of her colleague.

When the burnt corpse of a woman is found in Austria, a new colleague is appointed as liaison officer for the German-Austrian special unit instead of Ellie.

An apparent motorcycle accident on a mountain pass road leads Ellie and Gedeon to a ritualistic spot in the woods and they find out more about the legend of Schinder Jackl. Turek makes a confession to Ellie.

A mysterious man surrenders himself without revealing his name during a police operation in the woods and they have to find out if he has a connection to the murders. Gedeon gathers his remaining strength to find Koschlick.

With the connection between the suspects and murders still unclear, Ellie and Gedeon must push themselves past their breaking points to crack the case. In German.