A man dressed in black arrives in the village of Settle's Crossways, following the scent of a terrible crime. He calls himself Black, though almost certainly that is not his name. The villagers discover that they have a surprising urge to cooperate with the stranger, though the desire of inhabitants of quiet villages to cooperate with strangers is not common in their land, or most lands. But their help will not save Black as he discovers the nature of the evil concealed in Settle's Crossways.