The city of the lost children

In a rundown coastal town where hardly a sunbeam finds its way, small children keep disappearing in inexplicable ways. No one knows where they are taken or what happens to them, and none of the children have ever returned.

Behind the abductions is Krank, a scientist who lives on a decommissioned, bizarrely modified oil rig in the sea along with his six cloned brothers, Mademoiselle Bismuth, and Irvin, the brain. Because Krank cannot dream due to a rare defect, he ages at an alarming rate. The only thing that might prevent this process is stolen dreams. A group of cyclopean-like beings assists him in abducting children from the slums of the nearby town, from whom dreams are then extracted using a complicated apparatus in Krank's laboratory.

When this eerie gang captures little Denrée, they are pursued by his older brother, the former whaler One. One possesses superhuman strength; he can even break iron chains—a trick he performs for astonished audiences at fairs. Unfortunately, One loses the trail of the cyclopes but encounters a gang of children. The orphans have banded together to face the danger. Over time, they have devised various tricks to evade the child-catchers. Miette, the nine-year-old leader of the gang, knows where Krank's hunters are hiding, but she will only reveal the secret if One helps them with a theft.

Eventually, the friendly giant and the cunning girl set out to rescue little Denrée and all the other children. However, before they reach the island and discover Krank's eerie laboratory, they must face several dangerous and thrilling adventures.