Whilst investigating the death of a local cleaner, a noble mechanic called Doris Thunder uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, solid torch circulating throughout Kent. As soon as anyone uses the torch, he or she has exactly 31 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 spiky lizard to touch.
Doris gets hold of the torch, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into her mind: a grubby horse balancing on a magical cleaner, an old newspaper headline about a polo accident, a hooded goldfish ranting about moles and a drinking well located in an urban place.
When Doris notices her moles have lizard-like properties, she realises that the curse of the solid torch is true and calls in her friend, a detective called Alex Rockatansky, to help.
Alex examines the torch and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the grubby horse balancing on a magical cleaner particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Doris and Alex pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded goldfish. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?