Set in 18th century France, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) was born as an orphan in the streets of Paris. Jean has a remarkable sense of smell and one day while in town, he discovers the object that will change his life - perfume. He becomes the apprentice of a once-renowned perfumer, Baldini (Dustin Hoffman), in order to learn the art of creating fragrances, as he plans to create the world's prefect perfume by capturing the irresistible aroma of young womanhood.