Synopsis for
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw ) is in a dark cell. Only his nose is lit. He sniffs. Men rush into his cell and release him from chains. He is forces to walk to outside where thousands of people are yelling. The sentence of the court is read. Jean-Baptiste a murderer. He will be executed. People are excited. Jean starts recalling his past. Narration tells us that Jean-Baptiste is the most tallented person at scent in the world. In a fish market, we see raw fish. At that smelly placce, a woman gives the birth of Jean-Baptiste. He is thrown on the fish. He smells fish, guts, meat, blood... he begins crying. People notices him, and the mother runs. People yell she is a murderer, and she is caught, and executed.

He is sent to a asylum. He smells a finger of the other boy, that is creepy for them. The other kids decide to kill him. But a woman finds them, and he survives. The other children feel something different about Jean-Baptiste.

Jean-Baptiste becomes 5 years old. He picks up things on the ground and smells them. He then smells the apple tree. He suddenly dodges a apple thrown from behind. He smells the dead rat at his bed. Other children look scared.

Jean-Baptiste becomes 13. He is lying on the ground, smells and tells what surrounds him without looking at them. He is sold to a man at the fish market. A woman at the asylum is killed by robber right after she sold him.

As working for the man, he dreams of exploring world for finding out smell.

Jean-Baptiste is grown. He finaly walks outside the fish market. He is walking at the town. Its full of people and things. He smell things he never smelled before. We see many things that he is smelling. He puts down what he was carrying. And he smells something. It is a perfume shop. He walks toward it. He reaches to the window of the shop. There are ladies who are trying perfumes. The perfume is called Amor and Psyche. Jean-Baptiste seems quite interested. Then, he smells something. We see parts of body of a girl. He start walking to find her. He finds her on a road. It seems her scent is wonderful for him. He chases her. He comes right behind her and starts smelling her. She, the Plum Girl(Karoline Herfurth ), turns around and gets surprised. She seems nervous to look at him, but she offers some plums to him. He grabs her arm and smell it. That scares her and she runs away. A fireworks suddenly are fired. He starts chasing her.

The fireworks seems to make it hard to smell her scent. But he finally finds her. He smells her from distance. We see her hair, plum, arms, neck... He approaches from her back. He is smelling her and she turns around and screams. A couple comes from somewhere, and he has to suppress her with his hand. After the couple leaves, he realizes that she is dead. He lays her down, and starts striping her. She is naked. He smells her body crazily. After some time, it seems the scent of her is gone. He looks sad and disappointed. The master of the fish market beats him for his run-off.

He is at his bead. He cant sleep. He is shocked at the fact that he lost such a beautiful scent. He must learn how to preserve scents.

We see the river in Paris. Narration tells us about one of the perfumers in Paris whose name is Giuseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman). We see an old perfume shop of him. He used to make great perfumes, but he now lost his touch. Chenier (Timothy Davies) enters the shop. They talk about a perfume, called Amor and Psyche made by Pelissier. Chenier actually purchased the perfume for Baldini for testing it. They are talking about chords of the perfume. He goes upstairs saying not to let anyone get close to the shop because he needs silence for his study of perfumes. Chenier sighs.

At his study, he opens a drawer of a desk. He actually has the perfume. Beldinis wife (Dora Romano) comes in and he hides the bottle of perfume. She sets up some cloths for testing scents, she encourages him and leaves. As he pulls out the bottle, the house shakes. It seems that it is an usual thing for him. He starts testing. He carefully drops the perfume onto the cloth. He swipes the cloth and smells it. He says Wonderful... he did it again. He begins to examine the ingredients in the perfume. It seems to be hard for him to tell all of them. He just could tell Lime oil and Orange blossom, and he gives up.

Beldini is asleep in his study. Somebody knocks the door. He wakes up and opens the door. There is Jean-Baptiste outside for delivery. Beldini let him in. Jean-Baptiste looks at and smells gradients in Beldinis warehouse. Beldini tells him to put the packages he is carrying. Beldini walks away, and Jean-Baptiste turns around and says You want to make this leather smell good, dont you? Beldini stops and turns around and says yes. Jean-Baptiste continues with Amor and Psyche by Pelissier? Beldini ask him why he should use someone elses perfume. Jean-Baptiste replies that because Beldini wares it right now. He continues the perfume is bad because there are too much rosemary in it, and picks up 2 bottles and says too much of that and that. Beldini looks at them and says Bergamot and patchouli? Jean-Baptiste repeats the name of the scent, patchouli, patchouli... Beldini seems to be impressed, and asks him what else is in the perfume. Jean-Baptiste picks up bottles from shelves. Beldini looks at the labels of the bottles. Orange blossom, lime, rosemary... Jean-Baptiste picks up one more bottle, Beldini walks to it and reads, Storax? Thats in it, too. Beldini says You have a fine nose, but... and Jean-Baptiste starts telling him that he has the best nose in Paris and he knows every smell in the world, only he doesnt know is the names. He says he needs to learn them. Beldini get upset. He tells Jean-Baptiste that he should be a fine perfumer to detect the exact formula. He asks him, Could you tell me the exact formula of Amor and Psyche? Jean-Baptiste looks down and seems not to be able to answer. Beldinie is kind of satisfied at the fact that Jean-Baptiste cant answer, and walks away. But Jean-Baptiste says, I dont know what a formula is, but I can make Amor and Psyche for you now. Beldini stops and turn around. He tells Jean-Baptiste that he wouldnt let him use the ingredients that are fortunes. But Beldini looks at Jean-Baptistes face, and asks him his name. Beldini says he gives an opportunity to prove his sense. Jean-Baptiste asks him how much he wants of Amor and Psyche. He grabs a huge flask and says Shall I fill this flask? Beldini screams No! You shall not! and picks a small bottle and says You may fill this one. Jean-Baptiste says Yes master. and starts making Amor and Psyche with his own way. He put alcohol and puts ingredients. He doesnt measure anything. Beldini looks surprised at every single movement of Jean-Baptiste. Jean-Baptiste finishes putting ingredients and starts shaking the bottle. Beldini screams again to say not to shake it like that. Beldini yells at him that he knows nothing about perfume. But Jean-Baptiste puts the bottle down and says Its all done with a confident face. Beldini stares at it and Jean-Baptistes face, and pull out his handkerchief. He puts a drop of the perfume Jean-Baptiste just made, and smells it. Beldini seems shocked, and says ...This is Amor and Psyche. Jean-Baptiste says But it is not a good perfume, master. Beldini looks confused. Jean-Baptiste says he can make more better perfume. Jean-Baptiste runs and starts grabbing ingredients from every where. Belidini just looks at him opening his mouth. Jean-Baptiste starts adding ingredients to the bottle and shakes carefully. And he hands it to Beldini. Beldini stands up and says Im not in the mood to test it now. He makes Jean-Baptiste leave. Before he leaves, he asks Beldini if he can work for him. He says I have to learn how to keep a smell. Can you teach me about that? Beldini just shut the door.

Beldini come back to the laboratory and picks the bottle of perfume Jean-Baptiste just made it. He opens the bottle and smells it. Suddenly, the background becomes a garden full of flowers, and a beautiful lady walks toward him and kisses him saying I love you. Beldini is at the fish market. He pays 50 franks to buy Jean-Baptiste. Right after selling Jean-Baptiste, the fish master dies in an accident.

Jean-Baptiste starts working at Beldinis lab. Because of the perfumes Jean-Baptiste makes are so great, Beldinis shop is full of customers and Beldini gets a fortune again. Beldini is teaching Jean-Baptiste the essences of perfume. He tells him Each perfume contains three chords: the head, the heart and the base, necessitating 12 notes in all. The head chord contains the first impression, lasting a few minutes before giving way to the heart chord, the theme of the perfume, lasting several hours. Finally, the base chord, the trail of the perfume, lasting several days. Beldini sits down with smile and continues, Mind you, the ancient Egyptians believed that one can only create a truly original perfume by adding an extra note, one final essence that will ring out and dominate the others. Legend has it that an amphora was once found in a pharaohs tomb, and when it was opened. A perfume was released, after all those thousands of years, a perfume of such subtle beauty, and yet such power, that for one single moment every person on earth believed that were in paradise. 12 essences could be identified, but the 13th, the vital one, could never be determined. Beldini looks satisfied about having told the story of this legend. But Jean-Baptiste asks him, Why not? Beldini looks disappointed and leave. Jean-Baptiste is on his knees, to look at the bottles of the 12 notes of Beldini. He remembers the Plum Girl. He is dreaming of the girl, and Beldini wakes Jean-Baptiste up. Jean-Baptiste grabs him and begs him, Master, I have to learn how to capture scents and reprise it forever. Teach me and I will make you the best perfume in whole world. Beldini smiles.

Thousands of roses are carried into Beldinis lab. Beldini is telling Jean-Baptiste that 10,000 roses, to produce one single ounce of essential oil. He tells him to keep the roses fresh. Beldini and Jean-Baptiste sets up a some kind of mechanism. He sets fire and put water in the mechanism. Roses are put in it and begins to be boiled. Beldini tells Jean-Baptiste that the mechanism is to condense the scent of roses to essential oil. He talks about the town called Grasse. He says the town is The Rome of scents. The promised Land of perfume. No man can rightly call himself a perfumer unless he has proved his worth in that hallowed place. When he pours wine to a glass, the house shakes. Not to worry. Happens all the time. Night. Beldini is asleep. Jean-Baptiste is staring at the mechanism. The oil begins coming down. Jean-Baptiste wakes Beldini up. Beldini tells him The very soul of the rose.