The second of the Soul Doctor books sees the return of Ash and another set of case histories recorded by his assistant Jack Rivers, involving mysterious psychic disturbances and unsolvable soul sicknesses. Set against the background of their residential nursing home on the South Downs, many stories play out: the unwary visitor to sacred sites who falls into a dangerous trance, the overshadowing of a young artist who paints like a Renaissance master, the deadly haunting of an army camp, the Jacobean play with a reputation worse than that of Macbeth, the man still being stalked by a prisoner put away for life, and the young woman trying to return from a life of abuse. Ash and Jack delve deeper into the human psyche, reaching into the timeless zones to bring healing to shattered lives. This time they face dangers that require them to seek sanctuary themselves.