While preparing an exhibition of Georgian paintings in Paris, Anton Gogoladze is contacted by a mysterious older woman, who asks him to translate a manuscript that has come into her possession. Intrigued, Anton begins to read and finds himself caught up in the story of the famous French chef Pascal Ichac, his journey to the Republic of Georgia in the early 1920s, and his affair with Anton's mother, the beautiful Princess Cecilia. It is an epic story that spans three decades. A globe-trotting adventurer, Pascal is a man who delights in the pleasures of the table as well as those of the flesh. On board a train bound to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, he meets Cecilia and their immediate friendship soon turns to love. Enthralled with Cecilia and her country, Pascal decides to settle down and opens a successful restaurant. But when Pascal's infallible sense of smell saves the life of the President of the Republic, he becomes trapped in the political intrigue that is overwhelming the country.