Yorkshire 1855. When Colonel Aubrey Tarleton walks into the path of a speeding train he is crushed to death on the track. The famous Railway Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck is immediately put on the case to determine why such a well-respected man would have resorted to suicide. Tarleton's wife had recently gone missing but was the colonel responsible for her disappearance? It's up to Colbeck & his trusty sergeant Victor Leeming to uncover the truth.