What is the strange mystery threatening the quaint old fishing village of Horracombe?
When Dick Truscott becomes manager of a smugglers' inn in this picturesque outpost of Cornwall, he is puzzled by the continuing spate of nasty accidents and curious deaths. They seem too frequent for natural causes or sheer coincidence, but who—or what—is responsible?
The chief scapegoat is Kellogg Banks, a rich American intent on building a grand marina despite intense local opposition. Since his workmen started, the disasters have increased. But even Banks cannot manipulate the supernatural forces of the past.
As the long hot summer draws on, tension and fear grow to boiling point—yet still the deaths continue. And while the old and the new clash in bitter rivalry, tearing the small community apart, the dark ferment beneath Horracombe pushes events to a shocking climax.
