Haddington, near Edinburgh – it's 1975. Here change is a process slowed by tradition and the luxury of a certain distance from the swift progress of the rest of the world. Robert Deed's 13th birthday approaches. On the cusp of adulthood, this teenager looks beyond a thing and sees inside it. It's a trait shared with his all-seeing mother. No-one knows Robert's strangeness better than his mother Rowena Deed. In her dreams she sees his future but knows she will not be there to see her son mature. Pushing aside her sorrow at this knowledge, she instead focuses on giving him the tools he'll need to be a man of worth

But this birthday brings more than a coming of age celebration for Robert. He's about to see the glint of Death's scythe in the corner of his eye, even touch the honed edge. Travelling the road towards his future, Robert must solve the murder of his first crush, battle his grief, and exonerate a dear friend. Is he willing and able? Can he truly trust in the so called inner wisdom of his instinct? More importantly, will his world let him?