Whilst investigating the death of a local painter, a friendly author called Roger Ramsbottom uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, warped kettle circulating throughout Devon. As soon as anyone uses the kettle, he or she has exactly 124 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 blonde rat to touch.
Roger gets hold of the kettle, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into his mind: a worrying dog balancing on a ginger painter, an old newspaper headline about a boating accident, a hooded maggot ranting about fingernails and a drinking well located in a cosy place.
When Roger notices his eyebrows have rat-like properties, he realises that the curse of the warped kettle is true and calls in his daughter, a doctor called Kate Ramsbottom, to help.
Kate examines the kettle and willingly submits herself to the curse. She finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. She finds the worrying dog balancing on a ginger painter particularly chilling. She joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Roger and Kate pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded maggot. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?
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From @kpd