The show was based in the mining town of Orkney, near the city of Potchefstroom (and not too far from Johannesburg), and followed the exploits of an Afrikaner family named Van Tonder, a common Afrikaans surname.
The head of the household, Hendrik, worked on the mines and his wife, Maggie, was a housewife. They had four children (listed from oldest to youngest): Ouboet, Bennie, Hester and Wimpie. Neels (nicknamed Ouboet, played by Frank Opperman) was a car mechanic. He and his wife, Yolanda (nicknamed Yollie), had a little baby of their own, named Hendrik after his grandfather. Hester (nicknamed Hess) and Wimpie (called Wimps by his girlfriend) were both at school. The character of Bennie was rarely seen as he joined the army in the first season of the series. Wimpie had an on and off relationship with a girl named Sonja, and a best friend named Koert.
From time to time other family members, such as grandfathers and grandmothers would stay with the family and cause all sorts of mischief. Later the family also adopted two orphans, a young Afrikaner girl named Riekie and a coloured boy named Neelsie.
