Whilst investigating the death of a local shopkeeper, a daring lawyer called Suzanne Bogtrotter uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, warped torch circulating throughout Kent. As soon as anyone uses the torch, he or she has exactly 20 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 peculiar toad to touch.
Suzanne gets hold of the torch, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into her mind: a moist horse balancing on a wild shopkeeper, an old newspaper headline about a crocodile taming accident, a hooded goldfish ranting about legs and a drinking well located in a picturesque place.
When Suzanne notices her hands have toad-like properties, she realises that the curse of the warped torch is true and calls in her husband, a nurse called William Torrance, to help.
William examines the torch and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the moist horse balancing on a wild shopkeeper particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Suzanne and William 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?
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