The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Bradley, Kaliane. The Ministry of Time. Sceptre, 2024. Kindle AZW file.

The chapters alternate between the narrator in the 21st century and Graham Gore in the 19th century. The novel opens with a description of a man walking alone across the ice of the Arctic.

In Chapter 1, the narrator recounts a secretive job interview where she learned she'd be working with "expats" from different historical eras via time travel. She was assigned to Graham Gore, a 19th-century naval officer. They moved into a shared house where Graham, initially uneasy about living with an unmarried woman, adapted with the narrator's guidance. In the 19th century, Gore discussed the lack of rations for the men on an expedition to the Arctic.

In Chapter 2, the narrator met Quentin, her handler, and attended a meeting with Adela the Vice-Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriation, noting her extensive cosmetic surgeries. She discussed Arthur with Simellia, the only black team member, who urged honesty about the narrator’s biracial identity as a woman with a Cambodian mother and white father. The expats underwent MRI scans, where Graham supported Arthur, an expat from the World War One, and Maggie, an expat from the 1600s. They met The Brigadier, whose outdated language puzzled the narrator. Graham sketched an unfamiliar device, prompting the confusion from the narrator who did not recognize it. In the 19th century, an old wound on Gore’s hand began to open up as a consequence of scurvy.

In Chapter 3, the Ministry decided to withhold information on major historical events from the expats. The narrator showed Quentin Graham’s sketch of an unknown device, alarming him. Weekly meals were arranged for the expats to bond. At one, the narrator met Margaret Kemble from 1665 and army lieutenant Thomas Cardingham from 1645. The Brigadier, looking unwell, joined. At home, Graham and the narrator discussed homosexuality, with Graham hinting at past relationships in the navy. Quentin asked the narrator about Graham’s device sketch, but was dismissed by the narrator as paranoid. In the 19th century, Gore accidentally shot and killed an Inuit man while hunting and informed his fellow officers about what had happened. In Chapter 4, the narrator found she could no longer contact Quentin.

In Chapter 5, Quentin sent a cryptic postcard leading to a secret meeting where he disclosed his belief that Graham’s sketch depicted a dangerous future weapon, prompting the narrator to demand proof while contemplating reporting him to the Ministry. The expats, starting with Margaret, fell ill with a cold, raising concerns due to their unfamiliarity with modern illnesses. As the narrator also fell ill, Graham cared for her. At a Ministry meeting, Adela revealed Quentin's defection, became the narrator's new handler, and informed the narrator that The Brigadier was a spy. In the 19th century, the crew of the expedition explained to a group of Inuit people that Gore had accidentally killed one of them. The wife of the dead man asked to see Gore and he apologized.

In Chapter 6, the narrator attended Graham’s field officer graduation ceremony, where Quentin discreetly slipped documents into her bag. Before she could speak with him, Quentin was fatally shot by a sniper, an event that deeply traumatized the narrator. She spiraled into depression, but Graham supported her. The narrator inadvertently mentioned Auschwitz, forgetting that expats were not supposed to know about such historical atrocities. The narrator looked into Quentin’s death and found that someone had disabled the CCTV using her fingerprints. Later, she invited Graham to join her at a pub with her friends. They were confronted by The Brigadier, who tried to kill them with an unfamiliar weapon, but they escaped. At their doorstep, the narrator kissed Graham, who responded briefly before pulling away abruptly. In the 19th century, Gore was confronted by a strange blue light.

In Chapter 7, the Ministry relocated the narrator and Graham to a safe house. Graham confessed his attempts to court the narrator but admitted his confusion about modern romance. They went to bed together. Afterwards, the narrator thought about the Ministry's microchip implanted in Graham's back but chose not to disclose it to him. In the 19th century, the remaining men on Gore’s expedition succumb to starvation and perish.

In Chapter 8, Graham, Arthur, Margaret, and the narrator visited an art gallery showcasing J.M.W. Turner's works, where Graham concealed his distress upon seeing a painting related to the Franklin expedition. During a self-defense session, the narrator revealed to Adela that she had unintentionally informed Graham about Auschwitz, whereas Adela believed she had unintentionally informed him about 9/11. In the 19th century, a search party discovered evidence of cannibalism amongst the lost expedition.

In Chapter 9, Adela urgently warned the narrator of a mole within the Ministry. Returning home, Graham revealed that Maggie was missing and he had made plans for a safe meeting point in tunnels for the expats. Racing to Arthur's house, they discovered him dead. At the tunnels, they reunited with Maggie and Thomas Cardingham. The narrator tearfully revealed the presence of the microchips, causing Graham to lose trust in her. The narrator left to seek help from the Ministry. Meeting Adela, the narrator discovered she was held captive by The Brigadier, who revealed Adela was the same person as the narrator, returned from the future. After escaping The Brigadier, Adela entrusted the narrator with critical access codes, urging her to end the expatriation project. Confronted by Graham and Thomas Cardingham, Adela urged the narrator to escape, which she did.

In Chapter 10, the narrator reached the Ministry and was unexpectedly taken hostage by Simellia, who confessed to being the mole aiding The Brigadier. The Brigadier revealed his mission to kill the narrator in order to prevent her future actions. The narrator shot the time door, accidentally killing The Brigadier. Simellia escaped, freeing the narrator unharmed. Returning home, the narrator found Graham waiting, gun in hand. Graham insisted she erase all expat information using Adela's passcodes. Distraught, the narrator questioned Graham's love before he left without a response. Later, she was fired by the Ministry, learning the damaged time door had fatally injured Adela. Depressed, she moved in with her parents. A parcel from Graham arrived, containing a photo hinting that he and Maggie had fled to Alaska. Graham's note inside affirmed his love for the narrator.