Florence, Italy -- 1533: An orphan named Ren le Florentin is plucked from poverty to become Catherine de Medici's perfumer. Traveling with the young duchessina from Italy to France, Ren brings with him a cache of secret documents from the monastery where he was trained: recipes for exotic fragrances and potent medicines -- and a formula for an alchemic process said to have the potential to reanimate the dead. In France, Ren becomes not only the greatest perfumer in the country but the most dangerous, creating deadly poisons for his Queen to use against her rivals. But while mixing herbs and essences under the light of flickering candles, Rene doesn't begin to imagine the tragic and personal consequences for which his lethal potions will be responsible.