It all begins in a quiet Ankh-Morpork street, where Rincewind and The Librarian inexplicably fail to die from a nearby cart-bomb explosion. The odd event is not shared by them alone however: occurrences of the newly dead re-awakening and disturbing the populace are being reported all over the city, prompting the Archchancellor of Unseen University to halt his usual activities of feasting and merrymaking, and to take charge of the situation. Much to Rincewinds despair, the entirety of this process involves appointing him to the task of finding Death and convincing him to resume his work.