A terrifying fairytale? A philosophical thriller? A romantic fantasy? For Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, the dark hero, we learn only that he was born on July 17, 1738, in Paris, among the garbage of the market, with two peculiar characteristics.

The one who terrifies everyone with his complete lack of any smell has the most sensitive nose in the world. He records in the endless bank of his memory all the scents he encounters on his path, and not only that, but he can recall any moment he chooses.

His long journey through the kingdom of scents will lead him from the perfumer's workshop to the position of demigod, captivating the crowds with the only weapon of the ultimate and most overwhelming scent that exists. That of human existence.