A young sailor finds himself trapped in the labyrinthine mansion of his occultist uncle, along with a number of eccentric and mysterious relatives who all seem to be harboring a dark secret.

Life in Gestapo jails in occupied Belgium.

There is a beautiful windmill near Winkelbroek. The miller is Wannes Coppens, someone who knows all the ways, but especially the detours, to achieve his goal. He is particularly proud of his son Antoon. He is a teacher, conductor of the brass band, painter... and has the reputation of being the biggest joker in Winkelbroek. Through Antoon's marriage to Louisa from the brewery, the miller hopes to regain possession of a piece of land. But the old brewer is unyielding. Wannes then takes a detour via the mayor.

There is a beautiful windmill near Winkelbroek. The miller is Wannes Coppens, someone who knows all the ways, but especially the detours, to achieve his goal. He is particularly proud of his son Antoon. He is a teacher, conductor of the brass band, painter... and has the reputation of being the biggest joker in Winkelbroek. Through Antoon's marriage to Louisa from the brewery, the miller hopes to regain possession of a piece of land. But the old brewer is unyielding. Wannes then takes a detour via the mayor.

Steven Martens wants to establish himself as the village doctor. His cousin Boone, a cunning farmer, manages to persuade Steven to act as a "miracle doctor." This earns him an extensive clientele. Steven refuses to marry Marietje, the mayor's daughter. This prompts the angry village potentate to launch an investigation into Steven's qualifications. The young doctor is, of course, cleared of any wrongdoing, but the villagers feel betrayed and stop visiting him.

A local brass band rehearses for a music competition in Bruges. They are confident that a new march by a young music teacher will get them the first prize. Their chance of winning seems to get an awful lot smaller when a a fight breaks out between the chairman and the music teacher -- urging the latter to sell the march to another band.

The young Isabelle escapes from the orphanage and she adopted by two chaps on a caravan. They then meet by chance the posh family of Louise- who runs away with the three adventurers when confronted with the reality of having to marry a Belgian with a large moustache and a bald head. They find a dog. Later Louisa degenerates into a minor moment of sexual hedonism and multiplexing with the two chaps before they are all overwhelmed by the Armageddon that was WWI.