Jack Bellamy is an award-winning London crime journalist. Haunted by the tragic memory of a major story gone wrong, his career and marriage are on the slide as he wallows in guilt and alcohol.
Emily Peterson is an unassuming librarian from the sleepy Cornish village of Walden Manor. Intrigued by her family history, she is looking for answers about the real cause of her great-grandfather's death in a mining accident in 1926.
When the body of a young hitchhiker is discovered near the village, Jack's big comeback story is shelved against his will, and he is sent to cover the seemingly routine murder. What he finds is a case that defies logic and has the local police baffled.
As more strange deaths occur, and the shadow of a serial killer looms large, Jack and Emily's separate investigations begin to intertwine in a way that forces them both to re-examine their beliefs.
As they get closer to the truth, Jack is forced to confront his past as an ancient evil threatens to destroy them both...