In September 1957, at a Chrysler Corporation assembly plant in Detroit, the hood of a newly assembled, custom-painted 1958 Plymouth Fury slams down without warning and crushes the hand of a line worker inspecting its front end. Another worker climbs in to sit behind the wheel, letting the ash from his cigar fall on the front seat. At the end of the shift, the line supervisor notices the worker slumped in the seat and opens the door; the worker falls to the floor dead, a look of terror on his face.
Two years ago, a psychopathic killer drove a stolen Mercedes into a crowd, killing 16. The recently retired detective who headed the unsolved case suddenly begins receiving mysterious messages containing unreleased information and decides to start his own, unofficial investigation.
Police interview several people, including high school student Sue Snell and gym teacher Rita Desjardin. Detective John Mulcahey is investigating the disappearance of high school student Carrie White. These interviews Flashback (narrative).