The happiness of Slade's new world is cut short when a student is struck by a train one evening. Ruled a suicide by police, Sam suspects foul play and the two reporters embark on a quest to uncover the killers. Unknown to them, the murderers they seek dwell deep within the Clemson's administration and Southern aristocracy, and every inch the two students come closer to solving the murder is another step the killers take against them. When the killers strike back violently, Slade must wager his life and those he loves to confront the evil-and unite with an extraordinary machine.