Whilst investigating the death of a local lawyer, a charming fishmonger called Chantal Wu uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, bendy kettle circulating throughout London. As soon as anyone uses the kettle, he or she has exactly 100 days left to live.
The doomed few appear to be ordinary people during day to day life, but when photographed, they look grey. A marked person feels like a passionate donkey to touch.
Chantal gets hold of the kettle, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into her mind: a scrawny rat balancing on a pretty lawyer, an old newspaper headline about a drunk driving accident, a hooded rat ranting about toes and a drinking well located in a rural place.
When Chantal notices her arms have donkey-like properties, she realises that the curse of the bendy kettle is true and calls in her brother, a shopkeeper called Casper Malkovich, to help.
Casper examines the kettle and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the scrawny rat balancing on a pretty lawyer particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Chantal and Casper pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded rat. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?