Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born in a bustling fish market in the heart of Paris, and is immediately abandoned by his mother. He is taken to an orphanage, but due to his unusual appearance and lack of scent, he is rejected and sent to work at a tannery. It is there that he first discovers his extraordinary sense of smell, which he uses to distinguish and memorize scents.
As Grenouille grows up, he becomes obsessed with capturing and preserving the essence of beautiful scents. He becomes an apprentice to a perfumer, Baldini, and quickly outshines him with his talent for scent creation. However, Grenouille's fixation on capturing scents takes a dark turn when he realizes that in order to create the ultimate perfume, he must capture the scent of beautiful women. He begins to stalk and murder young girls, extracting their scent and preserving it in glass bottles.
Grenouille's obsession with scent becomes all-consuming, and he spirals further into madness as he becomes increasingly desperate to find the perfect scent. He eventually creates the ultimate perfume, but in doing so realizes the emptiness of his own existence and the horrific extent to which he has gone to achieve his goal.
The movie is based on the novel "Perfume" by Patrick Süskind, and is a haunting exploration of obsession, beauty, and the power of the senses. The stunning visuals and atmospheric score create a vivid and unsettling portrait of 18th century France, as well as a chilling commentary on the nature of desire and the pursuit of perfection.