The film's narrative spans three distinct eras, following the Merchant bloodline's centuries-long battle with the Cenobites:

Architect John Merchant builds a Manhattan skyscraper designed to counteract the box, unknowingly drawing the attention of both Angelique and Pinhead.

Toymaker Philip Lemarchand unknowingly creates the original puzzle box, the Lament Configuration , for a decadent aristocrat who uses it to summon the demon Angelique.

The Completist Guide to the Hellraiser series (1987-2011) part 2