Felix Clousseau is a poor, unknown painter living in turn-of-the-century Paris. When he enters his painting of a duck in a local art contest, no one is impressed — until the duck quacks. Suddenly, all the paintings Clousseau has painted come to life, and his creations — which include a slithery boa constrictor, a billowing volcano, and a gushing waterfall — threaten to cause havoc all over Paris.