Adso, a young German soldier who wishes to take his vows, meets William from Baskerville, a cultured and intelligent Franciscan monk, and decides to follow him. The two head to a Benedictine Abbey in the Alps, famous for its library, where a dispute will take place on the role of the Church and its wealth. Arrived at their destination, William and Adso discover that the abbey is in full commotion for the death of Adelmo, the miniaturist of the scriptorium: is it murder or suicide?