How to Stop Time follows the point of view of its protagonist, Estienne Thomas Ambroise Christophe Hazard, more commonly known as Tom Hazard. He immediately explains his slow-aging condition with a strong immune system that prevents him from getting sick. From the beginning, Tom is on a mission of self-discovery. He has changed identities so many times over his 400-year life that his true self is lost. Ultimately, he is a musician. Music underlies many of his identities’ lives and plays a big role in keeping him sane.

The majority of Tom’s actions are motivated by promises he makes to his mother and his wife. The first is to be strong and stay alive. The second is to find his missing daughter, Marion, and keep her safe. These promises reinforce love as the whole point of life. Tom’s early years are filled with his mother’s love. His love for her makes her death that much harder. His failure to save her haunts his dreams. Her death marks the turning point of Tom’s life, starting his life on the run. Later, Tom’s wife, Rose, becomes the point of his life, but again, he fails to defend them when the witchfinder returns.