Whilst investigating the death of a local police officer, a delightful scout called Michelle Blunder uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, magic ruler circulating throughout Canada. As soon as anyone uses the ruler, he or she has exactly 3 days left to live.
The doomed few appear to be ordinary people during day to day life, but when photographed, they look translucent. A marked person feels like a carefree rat to touch.
Michelle gets hold of the ruler, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into her mind: a fluffy aardvark balancing on a simple police officer, an old newspaper headline about an apocalyptic accident, a hooded dog ranting about thighs and a drinking well located in a grand place.
When Michelle notices her fingernails have rat-like properties, she realises that the curse of the magic ruler is true and calls in her niece, a gardener called Dolly Giantbulb, to help.
Dolly examines the ruler and willingly submits herself to the curse. She finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. She finds the fluffy aardvark balancing on a simple police officer particularly chilling. She joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Michelle and Dolly pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded dog. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?