A journalist covering the mayoral election is electrocuted in his hotel room. Later his girlfriend is found dead too. It appears one of the candidates may be involved in a sex scandal. Can Nick find out who committed these murders without engaging in a witchhunt? Dirty politics and mudslinging gets Nick thinking about when he was Professor Nicholas Girard (Chicago, 1954) -- and on trial before the HUAC on charges of being a Communist.
A man is killed in an apparent mob hit. While the investigation is underway, the only witness, a young girl named Lisa, is left in Nick's protective custody. This duty reminds Nick of a boy he and his Old Friends cared for in World War II England and the ramifications of his immortality and sterility.
Nick's feelings of responsibility for the death of a man he was supposed to protect in a "sting" operation causes him to lie about actually seeing the murderer pull the trigger. In addition to the problem of having to appear in court to testify in broad daylight, Nick's desire to see justice done struggles with his conscience. He calls up memories of an incident from the past in which a woman lies in court, condemning to death a man Nick knows to be innocent, since he saw his fellow vampire Janette commit the crime.
The wife and daughter of a well-known philanthropist are kidnapped and held for ransom, and psychic Denise Fort is brought in help Nick and Schanke with the case. Her powers are genuine, and therein lies the problem: she keeps picking up flashes of Nick's "other life", and Nick feels torn about whether or not to reveal himself to her, since she thinks it's a sign that she's having a breakdown. Nick's recollections of a similar situation in Puritan New England make him determined that Denise won't share th e fate of his mortal friend from that time.
A young woman dies, and all evidence points to suicide. Nick, however, has a gut feeling that it was murder, but seems unable to prove it. Added to his stack of unsolved crimes, it makes Nick question his own feelings of self-worth, especially after hearing about another, real suicide: that of one of his "old friends". Nick must search through his memories of their relationship of centuries past to determine why she killed herself, and why he shouldn't.
Another serial killer, this time preying on young women who all attend the same church. In order to catch him, Nick must try to overcome his fear and loathing of the Church and its symbols. Meanwhile, flashbacks to 15th Century France show Nick's encounter with a young peasant girl doomed to become a martyr when her claims that God spoke to her result in the Church branding her as a heretic and condemning her to burn at the stake. Nick offers her his version of immortality, but she refuses in favor of her own belief in life after death.
Someone is killing a number of homeless people and draining their blood. Then a museum guard is killed the same way and a special artifact is stolen, a Mayan cup that Nick believes can help him become mortal again. Nick suspects that his old mentor Lacroix is in town and behind the murders. Forced into a partnership with the unbearable Detective Schanke, Nick has to face both Lacroix and the Homeless Killer while trying to protect his friends.
Someone is killing a number of homeless people and draining their blood. Then a museum guard is killed the same way and a special artifact is stolen, a Mayan cup that Nick believes can help him become mortal again. Nick suspects that his old mentor Lacroix is in town and behind the murders. Forced into a partnership with the unbearable Detective Schanke, Nick has to face both Lacroix and the Homeless Killer while trying to protect his friends.