19世纪的英国作家James Rankin坚信20多年前被绞死的那个连环谋杀案的凶手另有其人,他的调查将他带入一个令人毛骨悚然而且无法逃避的秘密。A writer investigating the execution of a serial killer known as "The Haymarket Strangler" 20 years previously begins to suspect that the wrong man might have been hanged. However, when he picks up a scalpel used by the murderer, he finds himself possessed by the killer's spirit and begins committing similar murders.