Brynhild Paulsdatter Størsetgjerdet, better known as Belle Gunness, was born in 1859 in Selbu, Norway. After moving to the United States, she became one of the most notorious female serial killers of all time. It is estimated that she murdered between 40 and 70 people, but she was never tried or sentenced for any of these crimes. As the net closed in around her, she arranged her own "death" and disappeared without a trace.

Director Anne Berit Vestby, a native of the same small village in Norway, follows Belle's tracks from Selbu to Chicago. Drawing on archival newspapers and featuring authentic photos, the story Vestby recounts turns out to be wilder and more gruesome than you can imagine.