Whilst investigating the death of a local detective, a robot shopkeeper called Chidori Yoshino uncovers a legend about a supernaturally-cursed, stripy knife circulating throughout Wales. As soon as anyone uses the knife, he or she has exactly 24 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 deserted toad to touch.
Chidori gets hold of the knife, refusing to believe the superstition. A collage of images flash into her mind: a ruddy maggot balancing on a simple detective, an old newspaper headline about a motor accident, a hooded horse ranting about spots and a drinking well located in a sunny place.
When Chidori notices her feet have toad-like properties, she realises that the curse of the stripy knife is true and calls in her girlfriend (lol i wish), a painter called Junpei Iori, to help.
Junpei examines the knife and willingly submits himself to the curse. He finds that the same visions flash before his eyes. He finds the ruddy maggot balancing on a simple detective particularly chilling. He joins the queue for a supernatural death.
Chidori and Junpei pursue a quest to uncover the meaning of the visions, starting with a search for the hooded horse. Will they be able to stop the curse before their time is up?