Godefroy de Papincourt, Count of Montmirail (Jean Reno), is a 12th-century Gallic knight who finds himself transported to 1993, along with his dim servant, Jacquouille la Fripouille (Christian Clavier), when a wizard's spell goes awry. Startled and perplexed by modern technology, Godefroy and Jacquouille run amok, destroying cars and causing chaos until they meet Beatrice de Montmirail (Valérie Lemercier), an aristocratic descendant of the nobleman, who may be able to help them get back to 1123.
