In a small town in the Southwest of England, rivals of a large business are being brutally dealt with one by one. Enter Tim Power, hot-shot advertiser, whose girlfriend has placed him on a strict 12-month relationship test. Caught in a commercial war between two low-grade meat producers, Tim discovers that bad advertising can be every bit as effective as good advertising, provided you don't mind upsetting violent psychopaths with dubious family histories. Worse than this, Tim finds that failing in a relationship can be even more harmful to your health than accidentally offending tyrants with a passion for meat grinding.