Whilst investigating the death of a local detective, an energetic cleaner called Gregory Kowalski uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, tiny record circulating throughout Africa. As soon as anyone uses the record, he or she has exactly 21 days left to live.
The doomed few appear to be ordinary people during day to day life, but when photographed, they look distorted. A marked person feels like a magic aardvark to touch.
Gregory gets hold of the record, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into his mind: a wide horse balancing on a passionate detective, an old newspaper headline about a magic accident, a hooded mouse ranting about fingers and a drinking well located in a beautiful place.
When Gregory notices his moles have aardvark-like properties, he realises that the curse of the tiny record is true and calls in his grandmother, a navigator called Flora Plumb, to help.
Flora examines the record and willingly submits herself to the curse. She finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. She finds the wide horse balancing on a passionate detective particularly chilling. She joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Gregory and Flora pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded mouse. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?