But all is not well on this mighty train. The Drell Imnulate, a priceless and unique religious idol, is on board. It's precious enough to kill for, and someone is doing just that. And so, Bernice and the fabulously wealthy passengers are soon trapped on a death train.

With the police thousands of miles away, someone needs to take charge, calm the situation and set about investigating the murder. Passengers and crew alike need someone they can look up to and trust implicitly, knowing the law will ultimately prevail. Unfortunately, they end up with a very hung-over professor of archaeology - one who has a real problem with authority figures.