Anatole lived in a small mouse village near Paris with his wife and six children. Every evening he bicycled into the city to find food for his family. He is a content, happy, sophisticated French mouse - until he hears how much humans dislike mice. Then he decides something needs to be done about his lifestyle; no more sneaking into houses and taking food. He decides to earn the food he needs for his large family by becoming the secretive cheese taster and cheese rater for the Duval Cheese Factory.