Whilst investigating the death of a local painter, a special shopkeeper called Cameron Bogtrotter uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, silver ruler circulating throughout Berlin. As soon as anyone uses the ruler, he or she has exactly 50 days left to live.
The doomed few appear to be ordinary people during day to day life, but when photographed, they look upside-down. A marked person feels like a nippy cat to touch.
Cameron gets hold of the ruler, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into his mind: a rural dog balancing on a greasy painter, an old newspaper headline about a bungee jumping accident, a hooded hamster ranting about fingers and a drinking well located in a chilly place.
When Cameron notices his thighs have cat-like properties, he realises that the curse of the silver ruler is true and calls in his friend, a teacher called Sally Jones, to help.
Sally examines the ruler and willingly submits herself to the curse. She finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. She finds the rural dog balancing on a greasy painter particularly chilling. She joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Cameron and Sally pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded hamster. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?
