The tale of Wimlett, a good but flawed wizard, whose life was disrupted and prematurely ended by a faulty Life-Timer. The Timer was in a batch bought from a traveller by Death, who went on holiday leaving his novice assistant to sort it out. Wimlett was Archchancellor of Havrapsor (magical) University, and was replaced by a scheming wizard who'd been maligning him for years to get his job.

Seventeen years later, Wimlett's daughter Eydith fights to clear his name and bring an end to his successor's reign and his attempts to find the powerful artefact that will make him unstoppable.