The series tells the remarkable story of how three young men, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Peter Sunde and Fredrik Neij, united in the fight for a free internet and founded the download site The Pirate Bay. Their idea of free access to information, music, books and movies would fundamentally change the internet.
Early 00s Stockholm. Peter, Fredrik and Gottfrid unite in the dream of a free internet. Gottfrid is working on developing a service that connects file sharers from all corners of the world. The anti-piracy agency's chief legal officer, Henrik Pontén, realizes early on what consequences The Pirate Bay will have, but finds it difficult to make his voice heard.
The powerful lobby group, the Motion Picture Association of America, is threatening to sue The Pirate Bay. An impulsive action by Gottfrid ignites the conflict and the Americans hire Sweden's foremost copyright lawyer, Monique Wadsted. Henrik Pontén tries to find reliable sources within the shady Swedish pirate scene in search of sensitive information.
The plans to start selling ads on The Pirate Bay further divides the group. Behind Peter's back, Gottfrid and Fredrik make a decision that will cost them dearly. Attorney Monique Wadsted is working to identify the men behind the site. The anti-piracy agency's Henrik Pontén calls a press conference to present the findings he obtained through his source. But nothing goes as he intended and his fight against the pirate movement has consequences for both him and his family.
The private detectives are getting closer and closer to the men behind The Pirate Bay. Peter, Gottfrid and Fredrik try to cover up their tracks while the noose tightens. In Sweden, Monique Wadsted is fighting to get a prosecutor to get involved in the case, and in the US the issue of The Pirate Bay is being raised to the highest political level.
The police seize computers and servers in the crackdown on The Pirate Bay, but fail to crack the encryption. The pirate movement is closing in behind them and mobilizing an entire generation of youth. The trio are treated like rock stars and flown to conferences around the world. Discord within the group grows and breaks into open conflict. At the same time, the police make a surprising discovery in Gottfrid's private computer.
The trio reunite and bury the hatchet and find themselves in Stockholm filled with activists and media from all over the world. Both sides stand ready for the impending trial and a whole world holds its breath.
