Down on their luck, the Tooting family buys an old camper van and begins repairing it, but after installing an engine that once belonged to an extraordinary car, they are off to find other original parts, pursued by a sinister man who wants Chitty for himself.

Following a series of mysterious clues, Tintin and Snowy trail a dangerous gang of opium-smugglers through the scorching Sahara desert and the alleys of a Moroccan port.