Owen's manipulation of the Rift has perverted time across the globe, drawing fragments of both the past and the future into the present. Bubonic plague threatens Cardiff, mighty spaceships hang in the sky, and there is a growing belief that the end of the world is nigh. Even the Torchwood team is affected, as they are haunted by their deceased loved ones, who implore them to reopen the Rift. With tempers fraying amongst her friends, Gwen realises that the enigmatic Bilis Manger is the key to these events. But is the time-hopping Bilis a friend or an enemy? And what sort of being dwells in the darkness beyond the Rift?