The novel delves into the life of David Carter, a museum curator in a small English town, who is struggling with the inertia of an unfulfilling career and a strained marriage. When he stumbles upon a family secret, it propels him on a journey through his own history, prompting him to reexamine the artifacts of his life and the fragments of his past. As David sifts through memories and the detritus of his mother's life, he confronts the complexities of love, loss, and the elusive nature of happiness, ultimately questioning what it means to truly begin anew.

In this comedic science fiction novel, a time-traveling historian is sent back to Victorian England to recover a missing artifact and correct a temporal anomaly that threatens to alter history. Amidst the chaos of trying to adhere to the peculiarities of the era, he must also deal with an eccentric cast of characters, including a lovable but troublesome bulldog. As he navigates the complexities of time travel and the nuances of historical events, the protagonist finds himself entangled in a series of humorous misadventures that challenge the very rules of time and space, all while trying to ensure the past remains intact.