A thousand years from now, in a broken world, there is a girl called Leitha. Struggling for survival in a workhouse school, she is unaware of momentous events unfolding around her. Until the rebellion begins. With Takeshi, the lost boy, she seeks refuge from the street-fighting in a strange shop, which they have both seen in dreams. Neither the clock shop nor its eccentric old proprietor, the Watchmaker, turn out to be quite what they seem. Nor is the white fox anyone's pet. Unable to return to their home town, Leitha and Takeshi leave by the back way. Guided by the fox through perilous tunnels, they reach a Railway which takes them to a refuge in another world. Their relief is short-lived.