Whilst investigating the death of a local lawyer, a courageous nurse called Laura Pitt uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, spotty sandwich circulating throughout Scotland. As soon as anyone uses the sandwich, he or she has exactly 40 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 pointy monkey to touch.
Laura gets hold of the sandwich, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into her mind: a picturesque rat balancing on an icy lawyer, an old newspaper headline about a bear baiting accident, a hooded owl ranting about toenails and a drinking well located in a hilly place.
When Laura notices her moles have monkey-like properties, she realises that the curse of the spotty sandwich is true and calls in her uncle, a scout called Jack England, to help.
Jack examines the sandwich and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the picturesque rat balancing on an icy lawyer particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Laura and Jack pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded owl. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?
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From @kpd