An ex-soldier living in Cornwall gets an invitation to his sister's house in the north of England. He drives there but loses his way and ends up at a remote place called Keppelberg. It appears to be very strange to him, being set in Victorian times, and he is unjustly asked to leave by the police. He continues his journey to his sister but he remains curious about Keppelberg and goes back to find out more about it. The inhabitants do not make him welcome and he is incarcerated in jail. However he escapes to undertake his own investigation and what he discovers both astonishes and shocks him. For example, why are there no old people living in Keppelberg?