When outlaw Clay McCord learns the Governor of New Mexico has offered an amnesty to all who apply for it at the town of Tuscosa, he is intrigued but suspicious. He circles the vicinity, weighing the offer and encountering other outlaws, all the while troubled by occasional "spells" resembling the epileptic fits which plagued his father. Eventually McCord reaches Tuscosa where he clashes with the local marshal, Roy Colby. The Governor then arrives and tries to calm the situation, knowing that if McCord asks for amnesty, other outlaws will follow. Events lead to a shoot-out with McCord, Colby, and the Governor on one side while a band of outlaws comprise the other.

Charles is worn down by his home life where he and his wife struggle to cope with the demands of their daughter's illness and his job. When he meets Lucinda on the train to work in Chicago, there is an immediate spark between them. Soon they are doing lunch; dinner and drinks follow. This leads to an adulterous rendezvous in a hotel. However, no sooner have they torn each other's clothes off than their room is invaded by a thief who beats Charles and rapes Lucinda. Because of the illicit nature of their relationship, Charles agrees with Lucinda who is reluctant to go to the police and soon finds he is powerless to resist the demands of the thief.

In a sleepy southern town, the Larkin family suffers a terrible tragedy. Now the Larkin's are about to endure another: Traffic lights blink an eerie warning, a ghostly visage prowls in the streets, and graves erupt from the local cemetery in an implacable march of terror . . . And beneath the murky surface of the river, a shifting, almost human shape slowly takes form to seek a terrible vengeance . . .

Murukami, a young homicide detective, has his pocket picked on a bus and loses his pistol. Frantic and ashamed, he dashes about trying to recover the weapon without success until taken under the wing of an older and wiser detective, Sato. Together they track the culprit.