The TRADIS gets caught in the Timelash, a powerful time corridor that brings the Doctor and Peri to the troubled planet of Karfel. The planet is on the brink of war and ruled by an insane and much feared dictator, who punishes Karfelons by throwing them into the Timelash. But why is their leader never seen in person? And what links Karfel with 19th-century Scotland and a young writer named Herbert? The Doctor arrives just in time to find out...