Throughout the history of mankind, the flower has been one of the most inspiring examples of the sheer elegance of the natural world. And the queen of flowers, it is said, is the rose.

This documentary is dedicated to the people who share their lives with this remarkable plant in Central Bulgaria. It monitors the history of this magnificent flower, which is full of encounters with the greatest civilisations of the past.

It witnesses the local rituals, the traditional festivities, the truly impressive coronation of the Queen of Roses the rose petals gathering in the fields and the colourful parade along the central avenue of the city of Kazanluk. It smells the fragrance of the three and a half tons of rose petals, which are distilled to produce just one litre of the most famous rose oil in the world.

The Bulgarian “attar”, as it is called, is an invaluable gift of the land being in high demand among makers of perfume. Exhibits of the Museum of Roses and the Koulata Ethnographic Complex feature the history and the tradition of the rose cultivation and distillation.

The Thracian tomb is a monument of global historical importance which is on Unesco’s World Heritage List. A masterpiece of realistic murals and frescoes that makes the area of the Valley of Roses even more attractive.