Whilst investigating the death of a local detective, a brave doctor called Gemma Barlow uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, magic blade circulating throughout London. As soon as anyone uses the blade, he or she has exactly 55 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 stripy ostrich to touch.
Gemma gets hold of the blade, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into her mind: an enchanted donkey balancing on a beautiful detective, an old newspaper headline about a fang accident, a hooded monkey ranting about eyes and a drinking well located in a cold place.
When Gemma notices her eyes have ostrich-like properties, she realises that the curse of the magic blade is true and calls in her lover, a nurse called Helen Humble, to help.
Helen examines the blade and willingly submits herself to the curse. She finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. She finds the enchanted donkey balancing on a beautiful detective particularly chilling. She joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Gemma and Helen pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded monkey. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?
