Whilst investigating the death of a local private detective, a charming painter called Harry Barker uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, bloody knife circulating throughout insane asylum. As soon as anyone uses the knife, 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 distorted. A marked person feels like a tender toad to touch. Harry gets hold of the knife, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into his mind: a deprived snake balancing on a wild private detective, an old newspaper headline about a fang accident, a hooded hamster ranting about toenails and a drinking well located in a deprived place. When Harry notices his abs have toad-like properties, he realises that the curse of the bloody knife is true and calls in his grandfather, a detective called James MacDonald, to help. James examines the knife and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the deprived snake balancing on a wild private detective particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death. Harry and James 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?
