After missing a train that fated for disaster a man discovers he can see the phantoms of those who have died near that area. Soon he finds himself in the unusual company and trapped in a brutal struggle as a web of evil emanates from the train station.
Most of the characters in this story are psychic. An assistant of one of the main characters is openly gay (unusual for the time), and is a contradictory character of good and evil. Though contradictory, the character is very decisive and assertive, in supplying the killing force when the ghosts begin to commit criminal acts.
Though generally heterosexual in nature, this book is unusual in supplying a gay man with a fairly assertive and decisive role. He is seen as much more 'aggressive' than most of the straight men in the novel. And while the plot often involves questioning the gay man's decisions, it considers the man good, and with a difficult set of decisions to make.
In spite of this, the major gay character derisively describes several other gay characters as 'faggy' and other somewhat homophobic terms.