On Christmas Eve in Paris, Pierre (Thierry Lhermitte) and Thérèse (Anémone) get ready to man the hotline of the "S.O.S. Distress-Friendship" association, whose mission is to provide a warm listening ear to callers. Mrs Musquin (Josiane Balasko), the association's president, is leaving to celebrate Christmas Eve in suburb with her family, but gets stuck in the elevator. The office is soon beset by the upstairs neighbor, a lone Yugoslav immigrant, Mr. Zadko Preskovitch (Bruno Moynot) and his cultural foklore, Jean-Jacques aka "Katia" (Christian Clavier), and a simple-minded girl (Marie-Anne Chazel), Thérèse's protégé, pursued by her gruff companion Félix (Gérard Jugnot), a drunkard, thief, liar, suicidal and violent. A charming fellow who is sure to turn the premises of "S.O.S. Distress-Friendship" into a butcher's shop. But have a Merry Christmas...