Tammo Fistel has been a true jinx since birth. Not a year goes by without something terribly inappropriate happening to him. His classmates tease him, and on top of that, he has been hiccuping for one hundred thirty-eight days, six hours, and forty-seven minutes. Today is another one of those days when the air is thick with tension. The holidays are just around the corner, and the Fistel family is visited by a courier. Shortly after, Tammo, his sister Dodo, and their mother Feodora find themselves holding a black letter in which an unknown Bogumil asks them to undertake a secret errand for him. They are to deliver an inconspicuous package all the way to Sweden. The journey must begin unnoticed that very night.