Paris, 1786. The country on the eve of revolution. The air seems to be electrified. But in the area of the Cemetery of the Innocents there is a completely different atmosphere - decay, decay, rotting. The cemetery is being washed away by groundwater, and sewage ends up in the basements of residential buildings. It seems that even clothes and food are saturated with a corpse-like odor that is impossible to get rid of. Jean-Baptiste Baratte receives a task from the minister himself - to clean the cemetery, reburying the remains of those who found their final refuge there. Baratte is an engineer, but he was taught to build bridges, not dig up graves. However, he agrees because he is sure that his mission is noble: he will help the Parisians get rid of filth. However, many believe that disturbing the peace of the dead is a sin and Baratt will have to answer for this sin.