Debbie Sykes is a young college lecturer whose ordered life is about to be changed forever. One stormy winter's night, waiting for the late train home, Debbie is acutely aware of being alone - the woman who usually shares her evening vigil is not there. Vulnerability turns to fear, though, when she turns to see a sinister figure looming between her and the safety of the street. The next day, she hears that the missing woman has been found murdered by the man they call the Strangler, a brutal killer who dumps his victims on isolated stretches of railway track.
The police renew their efforts to find the murderer before he strikes again, but how much time do they really have? Strange things start to happen to Debbie when her story is publicised by an unscrupulous journalist and it seems as though a trap is slowly closing around her. Only Rob Neave, ex-policeman and college security officer, appears aware of the danger Debbie is in, but he is distracted by his own tragic past. The clock is ticking, and it looks as though time is running out . . .