Edinburgh, 1874. Jack is born on the coldest day the world has ever seen and his heart remains frozen. Doctor Madeleine saves him by replacing his defective heart with a mechanical clock. He will survive with this magical contraption so long as he respects three rules: he must never touch the hands; he must control his anger; he must never, ever fall in love. His encounter with Miss Acacia, a little street singer, makes the clock's hands turn more quickly. Jack is prepared to do anything to find her again and so, like a Don Quichotte, he sets out on a quest for love that will take him from the Scottish lochs to Paris, and from there to Andalusia.