 Based on a true story set around turn-of-the-century France, it follows the lives of two men: Joseph Pujol and Dr. Marcel Baudouin. Pujol was an entertainer at the Moulin Rouge who was gifted with a unique backside, which could take in and release air in measured increments thus producing amazing and humorous noises. Dr. Baudouin was obsessed with Joseph s "instrument" and pursued him doggedly for many years, ultimately resulting in his undoing.