It is Christmas in England and Jacob is ecstatic when Rachel agrees to go on a date. Life apparently has reached its zenith. However, this joy proves to be short-lived when Jacob's uncle, a university professor, experiments with two ancient wooden boxes - only to suddenly find himself lost in the past. An ill-fated rescue attempt leaves all three trapped in different, perilous times. Hope comes in the unlikely form of an infamous criminal who is thrust into the time-sojourners' lives. Some mysterious Christian martyrs and the great Isaac Newton also cross their paths as they seek to escape the time-trap. As the story unfolds, the dark ages of martyrdom and Civil War cast more shadows than they shed light, on the origin of the mysterious 'Kairos Boxes'.