Whitby, North Yorkshire – 1894

Two apprentice photographers, David Taylor and John Evans, find themselves unemployed and desperate for work when their employer dies.

They fall into the clutches of Hood, a notorious charlatan, who is eager to exploit them as "spirit photographers" with the aid of the infamous Tate Camera now owned by David. This notorious camera is said to have the ability not only to photograph spirits, but it can predict how and when the person photographed will die.

Reluctantly, David and John become immersed into the dubious, murky trade of spirit photography. Although David stubbornly refuses to believe in the supernatural, he becomes unnerved when ghostly images start to appear on the untouched photographs of young women who soon fall victim of a man people are calling "The Whitby Ripper."

Lucy Shaw, an ambitious reporter from The Whitby Herald, wants to expose both Hood and spirit photography as a fraud. She is a modern career woman eager to cover more exciting news than the flower shows her editor assigns. Her search for the truth attracts the attention of David, and possibly that of a murderer.

David is charming, handsome, a real lady-killer in every way. A relative newcomer to Whitby, he is reluctant to talk about his past or his direct link to the recent murder victims.

Is there any truth to the rumours about the Tate Camera? Can it predict the near future? Can it expose a killer?

Meanwhile...the Whitby Ripper waits for his next victim.