For spacetimes containing quiescent singularity hypersurfaces we propose a general notion of junction conditions based on a prescribed singularity scattering map, as we call it, and we introduce the notion of a cyclic spacetime (also called a multiverse) consisting of spacetime domains bounded by spacelike or timelike singularity hypersurfaces, across which our scattering map is applied. A local existence theory is established here while, in a companion paper, we construct plane-symmetric cyclic spacetimes. We study the singularity data space consisting of the suitably rescaled metric, extrinsic curvature, and matter fields which can be prescribed on each side of the singularity, and for the class of so-called quiescent singularities we establish restrictions that a singularity scattering map must satisfy. We obtain a full characterization of all scattering maps that are covariant and ultralocal, in a sense we define and, in particular, we distinguish between, on the one hand, three laws of bouncing cosmology of universal nature and, on the other hand, model-dependent junction conditions. The theory proposed in this paper applies to spacelike and timelike hypersurfaces and without symmetry restriction. It encompasses bouncing-cosmology scenarios, both in string theory and in loop quantum cosmology, and puts strong restrictions on their possible explicit realizations.