Whilst investigating the death of a local navigator, an admirable shopkeeper called Bob Willis uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, ripped newspaper circulating throughout Wales. As soon as anyone uses the newspaper, he or she has exactly 32 days left to live.
The doomed few appear to be ordinary people during day to day life, but when photographed, they look skeletal. A marked person feels like a magical giraffe to touch.
Bob gets hold of the newspaper, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into his mind: a giant rabbit balancing on a damp navigator, an old newspaper headline about a flying accident, a hooded gerbil ranting about legs and a drinking well located in a noisy place.
When Bob notices his eyebrows have giraffe-like properties, he realises that the curse of the ripped newspaper is true and calls in his friend, a psychiatrist called Joshua Russell, to help.
Joshua examines the newspaper and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the giant rabbit balancing on a damp navigator particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Bob and Joshua pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded gerbil. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?