Ted's good at taking lives, but he's not very good at living his own. He stays at a castle in Scotland, drinks too much, and seems to hate the human race. Ted is The Grim Reaper, and he's tired of his job. One day he tells the boss - God - that he's going on strike, daring Him to do something about it. "Let 'em pile up," Ted says.
But God has other plans for Ted, and so does the devil. The devil wagers God that he can get Ted to commit murder, and thus win his eternal soul. Lethe has no idea where she's from, who she is, or how she landed on planet Earth. But after spending some time with Death Himself, she learns why Ted is all alone in this world. Lethe, a French nanny named Helene, and a little goth girl, Alyssa, all combine to make Ted's life a lot more interesting, whether he likes it or not. 17th century Scotland holds the key to Ted's past, and present-day Detroit his potential future. Ted may be in over his head, but he plows through life like only Death can.