This Christmas everything is different at the Wagner family's home. As the family awakens to a loud crash and finds a large elk sitting awkwardly by the chimney in the house. Meet Mr. Moose. He had been preparing for a test flight with Santa Claus's team of reindeer and sleigh when it ended abruptly and he fell out of the sky through the family's roof. However, the children (Bertil and Kiki)'s excitement over the new domestic pet in the family is short lived, because not only has an amateur hunter Pannecke (Jürgen Tarrach) set his sights on the elk, but also Santa would like to have his elk back before the festive season starts.
In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.
As every year, German brewery tycoon Karl Schneibel spends the summer holiday on an Italian island with his beloved grandson Christian, near the children's home run by his ma, Dr. Gioia. This year however, Christian's heart isn't in his summer fling but his lover at home, Anna, daughter of Karl's general manager Dr. Werner. Christian has a bad eye in Veronica, the woman who became Karl's much younger lover 'by travel fate', the first thing soon proved untrue. But by then, the Schneibel firm and estate have been taken over according to an elaborate conspiracy, which Christian takes on with some help from his friends.
