A satirical inversion of the ideal of the perfect American nuclear family, they are an eccentric wealthy family who delight in everything grotesque and macabre, and are never really aware that people find them bizarre or frightening. In fact, they themselves are often terrified by "normal" people.

During the 1951 rout of the American army in Korea, a battle-hardened sergeant tries to reinvigorate his men with a bugle picked up by the side of the road.