1967: After barely surviving a hexed gunshot wound in Vietnam, army nurse Constance Watson flies to New Avalon to participate in a government-run study on curse radiation and—hopefully—learn how to deal with her newly awakened psychic powers.

Despite leaving the battlefield behind, Constance continues to encounter death at every turn, in the form of killer nurses, maligned mediums, haunted typewriters, and a string of seemingly motiveless murders. Thankfully, she has private detective Cherry Holmes by her side to make sense of it all.

As Constance records the details of each case and Cherry deftly sifts facts from falsehoods, a pattern emerges that will lead them to the identity of who—or what—is behind the crimes. With the Cold War looming and an unholy fog of miasmic radiation surrounding the city, it may turn out that the real threats are closer than either woman imagined.