In her teens, Mme. Zachanassian had to flee her home town in disgrace. Now she's old and rich and the town is facing bankruptcy. But she returns with news that she wants to help - as long as the townsfolk kill someone for her.
The Weidemann have a perfume factory but the business goes bad and blindly trust Marie, a young woman with a gift for the fragrances, to launch a new essence that will save the company. But Marie falls in love with Bernard, the heir of the family that owns the bank continually denied that the appropriations to the Weidemann.
Paul and Erik, two introverted loosers lacking social contacts, both work in a smudgy kitchen of the cheap chickenburger fast food store "El Chicko".
To pass time and monotony, Paul tells his partner time and again stories about a murderer killing women, of which Erik always wants to hear more and more. Eventually, Erik starts to believe that Paul is telling about himself.