The Chatton family are going on vacation. The overloaded car stops in the courtyard of the house of a large Alsatian winegrower, Aloys Frankensteinmuhl, where Ms. Chatton has rented a two-room kitchen. Disappointment: the two-room apartment is nothing other than an attic furnished by Mrs. Frankensteinmuhl, in hiding from her husband, hence a cold welcome from Mr. Frankensteinmuhl. The Chattons settle down, and begin a series of adventures with the arrival of Aunt Aimée.