Gunther Strobbe, an aspiring writer in his thirties who makes a living from doing odd jobs, is less than thrilled when he learns that he'll be a father. His lack of enthusiasm stems from being raised by his grandmother in an atypical family of male drunks, delinquents and criminals—Marcel's father and three uncles. But something good comes from the bad—drawing on memories of his adolescence, his first love and the many escapades of his family, Gunther gets the inspiration for his first novel.