There are those who say that the Malaussène clan are strange, shady, abnormal. But, when you look closely, you note that happiness reigns in this joyfully chaotic family ruled over by a mother who is endlessly falling in love and who has had children by men spread out all over the place. For Benjamin Malaussène, a professional scapegoat in a department store, and the oldest brother responsible for this brood, life is never boring. But when accidents occur whereever he passes by, attracting the attention of the police and his work colleagues, it rapidly becomes vital for him to know why and how these things keep happening, and above all who has got it in for him.
To get some answeres, Benjamin Malaussène must carry out his own investigation alongside an intrepid journalist nicknamed Aunt Julia.