生活在威尔士农村的发明家布莱恩每天都在建造一些稀奇古怪、不怎么有用的新奇玩意儿。在孤独中，他用一台洗衣机和其他零碎造出了查尔斯，一个有智能的机器人，它能从字典里学习英语，并对卷心菜非常着迷。

Stuttgart, 1942: Nazis have cleared Jewish communities from towns and Villages. Two German-born Jewish children flee Nazis who have killed their family, escorted by Gisella, part of the Lebensborn, an SS Master Race program.