"Sans Famille" tells the story of a boy named Rémi who is abandoned as a baby and left in a corner of the street. He is taken in by another family and cared for lovingly by Mrs. Barberin. One day, Mrs. Barberin's husband, who works in Paris, returns home after an accident and becomes disabled. They then sell Rémi to an old man named Vitalis, after which Rémi joins Vitalis' circus troupe as a hired hand. The two travel across England and France performing in circuses to make a living, and they even end up imprisoned in England before finally finding Rémi's mother and siblings. Throughout his difficult journey, Rémi encounters people from all walks of life, enduring hardships and injustices but always maintaining the values instilled in him by Vitalis – honesty, courage, dignity, compassion, hard work, gratitude, and the desire to be of service to others.

 Alongside Rémi is Mattia, a wise and resourceful young artist who is deeply loyal to his friends, as well as Capi, a dog with remarkable intelligence and loyalty, and Joli-Cœur, a mischievous yet endearing monkey. These characters, both human and animal, are depicted with vividness and charm, captivating young readers with their adventures.

 In the end, Rémi reunites with his true family and lives happily ever after with Lise.

Comics

Between 1958 and 1959 Dutch comics artist Piet Wijn adapted the story into a comic strip, which was republished in the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad. In 1979 he made another adaptation of the same novel, which was published in the Dutch Disney weekly Donald Duck.