When the opening of a railway museum is marred by the murder of a former railman, Detective Chief Inspector John Blizzard finds himself confronting some awkward truths. Not only does he have to consider the unpalatable possibility that his friends could be concealing vital information from him, but he soon discovers that the dead man's legacy is a dark shadow that spreads across the northern city of Hafton. In the end, though, John Blizzard has to confront a betrayal that he never thought possible.