The man who became Father Time was banished to a cave for centuries for inventing the first clock and trying to quantify time. He is eventually freed, given a magic hourglass, and told he had to teach two modern-day people the true meaning of time. He is assigned a despondent 16-year-old girl with few friends and a broken heart and a terminally ill businessman who wants to live forever. If he can get through to these two, he will have taught them (and readers) how precious life and time is.