With his wounds now healed, Will Graham heads to Europe eight months after the horrific event that almost took his life, in search of closure with Hannibal Lecter. Following a hunch, Will arrives in Palermo, Italy to find a disturbing gift. Will's arrival draws suspicion from Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi, who twenty years earlier pursued a Florentine killer known as "Il Mostro" and, after reading Will's file, believes that Hannibal Lecter and "Il Mostro" are one and the same. Pazzi tries to enlist Will's help in catching Hannibal, but Will warns that he is unsure of where his own allegiance lies.
