Johnny Smith awakens from a five-year coma after his car accident and discovers that he can see people's futures and pasts when he touches them. Many consider his talent a gift; Johnny feels cursed. His fianc ƒee married another man during his coma and people clamor for him to solve their problems.

When Johnny has a disturbing vision after he shakes the hand of an ambitious and amoral politician, he must decide if he should take drastic action to change the future. With "powerful tension that holds the reader to the story like a pin to a magnet" ( The Houston Post), The Dead Zone is a "faultlessly paced...continuously engrossing" ( Los Angeles Times) novel of second sight.