Carl Kolchak is the 'Night Stalker,' a newspaper reporter who investigates strange deaths and unexplained phenomena. He asks the questions that no one else will about the cases the police can't — or won't — solve.

Eighteen months ago, a sudden attack on a deserted highway left reporter Carl Kolchak injured but alive. His wife wasn't so lucky. Since then, his determination to find out who — or what — killed her has led him to track other unexplained, violent deaths, all seemingly touched by the supernatural. How are the crimes related? And why do some victims end up with a strange red birthmark on their wrists?

Kolchak is convinced that something terrible is happening, but the authorities — especially the FBI — don't seem to agree; in their eyes, Kolchak is the primary suspect in his wife's death.

A murder shockingly similar to his wife's leads Kolchak to Los Angeles, where he has signed on as a writer for the Los Angeles Beacon. Senior crime reporter Perri Reed is skeptical of Kolchak's wild theories, but impressed by his uncanny ability to ferret out information that no one else dares to. Young and ambitious photographer Jain McManus is eager to go follow Kolchak's unorthodox instincts.