John Brown is a bumbling but security guard who is severely hurt in an explosion intended by an evil mastermind. He is taken to a lab, at which a leading robotics surgeon, Brenda, simplifies his damaged limbs using tools and state-of-the-art gadgets. Named"Inspector Gadget" by the media, John -- combined with his niece, Penny, and her trusty dog, Brain -- uses his new abilities to detect who had been behind the explosion.